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MAKING A MISSIONARY CHURCH 





MAKING A 
MISSIONARY CHURCH 


X OF PRIN 
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OcT 2 1924 
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04 osieut, sew’ 
/By 
STACY R. WARBURTON 


PHILADELPHIA 
THE JUDSON PRESS 

BOSTON CHICAGO LOS ANGELES 

KANSAS CITY SEATTLE TORONTO 






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Cogericks PE: ig! j 


} THE AMERICAN BAPTIST PUBLICATION SOCIETY. 


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INTRODUCTION 


ACCEPTANCE of the universality of the Christian re- 
ligion owes its origin to those intrepid missionary 
Greathearts who pioneered across continents and 
seas in the name of the King. Slowly, but certainly, 
the Christian church of whatever name has reached 
their convictions respecting the essential task of 
the church itself, and “ the blood of the martyrs is 
the seed of the church.” Coincident with the period 
of the World War, the Christian church, having re- 
vised its thinking about missions, entered upon a 
new era of world service. 

This new attitude toward missions required read- 
justment in matters of program and method. Among 
the questions asked by churches of their missionary 
agencies, the most frequently recurring one is, 
*“ How may I introduce missions into my church, and 
what program and materials have you to suggest? ” 

This book presents an effective answer to this and 
kindred questions. We have waited a long time for 
this statement, and know of no other book which 
discusses this theme so thoughtfully and conclu- 
sively. It is carefully analytical, thoroughly com- 
prehensive, and is easy to read. It does not attempt 
to show how a missionary program may be super- 
imposed upon the church so much as it aims to gear 
the mechanism of the local church organization into 
the great world task. The hypothesis upon which 


Introduction 


the book rests is thoroughly Biblical, and hence its 
conclusions and deductions are unescapabie. It is 
not only an excellent exposition of the missionary 
motive and message, but it is also an overflowing 
reservoir of information relating to missionary or- 
ganization and plans. Here is a handbook of mis- 
sionary methods for Christian leaders which should 
be read by pastors, Sunday-school superintendents 
and teachers, directors of religious education, young 
people’s directors, woman’s society leaders, and 
planning committees. For instance, every pastor 
should read the chapter “ The Message of the Pul- 
pit.” Every leader of young people should read 
“Young People and the Social Life.” Every official | 
board should know the contents of the chapter, ‘A 
Unified Missionary Plan for the Church.” The im- 
portance of the chapter dealing with the missionary 
committee and the organization of a missionary 
church should not be overlooked. “ 

As a book for general usefulness in the “ making 
of a missionary church,” we think it is unexcelled 
and commend it to all Christian leaders charged 
with the responsibility in the local church organiza- 
tion and in missionary cultivation. Study-class lead- 
ers and summer assembly program-makers will dis- 
cover here an admirable text-book on the subject, 
“ A Program of Missionary Education for the Local 
Church.” 

WILLIAM A. HILL, 
Secretary of Missionary Education 
of Baptist Board of Education. 


PREFACE 


THIS book is intended as a handbook for church lead- 
ers and all others who are interested in helping their 
church to realize its full mission in the world. It 
is hoped also that the book may be of use to teachers 
of missions in theological seminaries and perhaps 
serve as the basis of a course, which should be re- 
quired of all who are preparing for the pastorate, in 
the principles and methods of developing a mission- 
ary church. _ 

The book deals with the missionary program of 
the whole church. There are valuable books on mis- 
sionary education in the church school, and in a 
lesser degree some other departments or groups 
have received attention in books or pamphlets. But 
it has seemed to the author that there is need for 
a volume which, while conveniently brief, would con- 
sider comprehensively the missionary task of the 
church as a whole, and would present a unified pro- 
gram of missionary education in which all depart- 
ments and all groups would find their places. The 
thesis of the book is the need for a comprehensive 
and unified missionary plan for the whole church, 
and upon this are based the plans suggested for the 


Preface 





various groups and departments, the aim being the 
making and developing and ee of a mis- 
sionary church. | 
The ideas and suggestions here presented have 
grown out of the experience of the author, as a 
foreign missionary, as a pastor of both a rural and 
a city church, and as a missionary editor and execu- 
tive. All the plans described have actually been 
tried with success. Of course not everything sug- 
gested is adapted to every church. Judicious choice 
and modification will be necessary. But the main 
principles are applicable in every church. ! 
Bibliographies have been added to most of the 
chapters. These are intended as suggestive only. 
They should be supplemented by the new books 
which are appearing- constantly. It need hardly be 
added that the prices given are subject to change. 


CONTENTS 


CHAPTER PAGE 
I. THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH.......... 1 
II.’ A UNIFIED MISSIONARY PLAN FOR THE 
CU ROH at em aerattee le recehcie eet eee te 13 
III. THE TRAINING OF THE PASTOR......... 3D 
¥ IV. THE TRAINING OF CHURCH OFFICERS.... 66> 
V. THE TRAINING OF PARENTS............ 80 
VL" THE MESSAGE OF THE PULPIT.......... 93 
VIL! THE CHURCH-SCHOOL CURRICULUM..... 108 
VIII. YOUNG.PEOPLE AND THE SOCIAL LIFE.... 130 
PAORCERPING INFORMED}. 0! 3).. alawiciy viele at 150 
X.\MISSIONARY ACTIVITIES............... 174 
XI. THE MISSIONARIES AND THE MISSION 
Le LATO TS BS IA Ze ep 9s eat ARN Bul MERE Se AL 188 
XIJ. RECRUITING FOR THE FIELD............ 213 
PHL MONEY: FOR MISSIONS. oo oe Sees 228 
XIV. PRAYER FOR BIE CLON ES gee) sede uataue cae". saa ue 244 
\ XV ORGANIZING A MISSIONARY CHURCH..... 258 





I 
THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH 


Has the Church a Purpose? 


It is worth while asking the question, for in thou- 
sands of churches it is never seriously asked or 
answered. How many churches, for example, ever 
hear a sermon on “ The Mission of the Church ’”’? 
Or how many official boards devote a single session 
to considering why their church exists? Or how 
many sit down at the beginning of the year and place 
before themselves the purpose and meaning of the 
church, and in the light of this purpose study the 
various phases and departments of the church work 
to decide how they will attempt to realize the 
church’s purpose in the work of these various de- 
partments or societies during the coming year? 

The fact is, most churches have a very vague idea 
of their mission. Most church-members would give 
a very incomplete answer to the question, “‘ What 
is the purpose of your church?” And the work 
many churches are doing is correspondingly vague 
and incomplete. Pastors make plans for their 
churches without considering the relation of these 
plans to the fundamental purpose of the church. 
The Sunday school has certain aims as to member- 
ship, attendance, offerings, etc., but these are quite 
unrelated to the all-inclusive aim of the church. The 
woman’s society and the men’s brotherhood have 


1 


2 Making a Missionary Church 





plans that too often aim simply at strengthening 
the organization without reference to the objective 
of the church as a whole. The Christian Endeavor © 
Society, the Camp Fire Girls, the Boy Scouts, and 
other young people’s societies generally plan inde- 
pendently, and in making their plans consider only 
the special purpose of their own organization. The 
fault is not with the different departments and so- 
cieties, but with the church itself, which all too 
commonly has no clear aim in view. 


Success Depends on Aim 


The futility of the ordinary opportunist policy of 
churches needs no argument. Success depends on 
aim. The clearer the aim the more definite the plans. 
The broader the aim the more comprehensive the 
plans. The more accurately and completely the aim 
represents the purpose of Christ, the more effec- 
tive will be the church’s work. The results depend 
on the aim. The work to be done is too large to — 
justify wasteful or unintelligent efforts. The forces 
arrayed against the church understand just what 
they are aiming at, and churches cannot afford to 
be less definite. 

What is said of the church is true of the various 
departments and societies in the church. The Sun- 
day school’s success is measured by its attainment of 
its true purpose. Unless its purpose is known and 
understood, its highest success will not be attained; 
numbers and enthusiasm may really obscure the 
true aim. The young people’s society may have the 
support of all the young people in the church, may ° 
have delightful socials, helpful devotional meetings, 


The Purpose of the Church 3 


and a multiplicity of other activities, yet fail of 
achieving its real purpose because its purpose, as 
a part of the larger purpose of the church, is not 
recognized. We have not begun to achieve the suc- 
cess that will become possible when we stop to con- 
sider the question, What is the purpose of the church 
—of my church? Answer it in the light of the 
supreme purpose of Christ. The work of the church 
and of all its affiliated organizations will find its 
success in realizing this end. 


What Is the Purpose of the Church? Evangelism? 


Most people would probably say off-hand that the 
purpose of the church, of any church, is “to win 
men to Christ ’—in other words, evangelism. Dif- 
ferent church bodies would interpret this differently, 
but broadly interpreted it means the enlistment of 
individuals in personal loyalty and service to Christ. 
Scarcely any would deny that this is at the heart of 
the church’s purpose. ‘“‘ Go and make disciples,” said 
Jesus, and the love which has drawn the members 
of his church to Christ inspires them to seek other 
disciples also. The apostles had a consuming pas- 
sion to win others to their Lord. The early disciples, 
scattered abroad by persecution, ‘‘ went everywhere 
preaching the word.” It is clear from Scripture and 
the whole history of the church that the purpose of 
the church is evangelism. 


Christian Development? 


But does this exhaust its aim? The church is sure- 
ly intended partly to strengthen and build up its 
members in Christian faith and experience. “In 


4 Making a Missionary Church 


union there is strength.” Courage, loyalty, love, en- 
thusiasm, all gain strength from the consciousness 
that others have the same interests and are seeking ~ 
the same ideals. United public worship gives oppor- 
tunities for stimulating the Christian life. The study 
of the Scriptures together adds zest above what is 
possible in private study, and the united activities of 
the church continually stir up the members to new 
consecration and new service. The church is a part 
of Christ’s plan for his followers, but even if he 
had said nothing about his church, it was inevitable 
that Christians would associate themselves together 
in an organization for mutual helpfulness. 


Community Service? 


While ministering to the souls of men the church 
has a larger service to the community which takes 
in all needs, including those not classed as spiritual. 
To help provide for young people opportunities for 
social life under Christian auspices, to improve the 
homes of the poor, to make conditions more health- 
ful, to secure better schools, to aid in bringing 
brotherhood into the relations between employer and | 
employed, to make life safer and decency surer— 
all of these are a part of the mission of the church 
to its community. Every service a church can 
render to the people within its reach, in the effort 
to uplift the individual and community life in the 
name of Jesus Christ and to illustrate the Christian 
spirit of service and love to all who can see or ex- 
perience the church’s ministry, belongs within the 
scope of the purpose for which the church, any « 
church, exists. 


The Purpose of the Church ° 


Church to Establish Christ’s World Kingdom 


All of these things, however—Christian culture, 
evangelism, community service—have to do with the 
direct personal service rendered by the church to 
the people of the local community only. But the 
church’s mission reaches far beyond this. A study 
of the New Testament makes it perfectly clear that 
the true aim of a church is nothing less than to 
establish the kingdom of Christ in all the earth. 
Christ came to set up that kingdom. His program 
he committed to his church. And every church 
that calls itself by his name is thereby committed 
to the carrying out of Christ’s plans and purpose. 
The most characteristic feature of his gospel is its 
universality. He seemed to think always in uni- 
versals. If he spoke to his own nation it was in 
terms applicable to all peoples, and his teachings 
are found to be practicable for all races to whom 
they have been carried. He was not more interested 
in winning the Jews than in winning the Greeks. 
His offer of life and fellowship was to all who would 
accept it. One of his last words was a prophecy 
of the flockings of peoples of all nations to his 
standard: “I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will 
draw all men unto myself” (John 12: 32). And 
the Commission which he gave to his disciples was 
not limited to place or people: “ all nations,” “ every 
creature,” ‘all the world.’ Christ’s mission was 
to establish the kingdom of God in the hearts and 
lives and relationships of all people in all the world. 
His purpose was world-embracing. His plans in- 
cluded all peoples. His mission was a universal one. 


6 Making a Missionary Church 





This is the mission which the apostles understood 
Christ to have committed to them. There were 
Judaizers — narrow nationalists in religion — who - 
wanted all converts to follow Jewish law and cus- 
toms, but even these did not oppose the preaching 
of the gospel to the Gentiles. Christ’s command, 
‘“Go ye and make disciples of all the nations,” was 
accepted and obeyed by the apostles and the early 
church, and as a result we have a New Testament 
which is throughout a missionary book, and as a 
greater result the universal gospel of the universal 
Christ has been proclaimed to practically all nations. 


Every Church a Missionary Organization 


The mission of every church is the mission of , 
Christ and the apostles—to give the gospel to the /“ 
whole world. That means that every church is a 
missionary organization. All the world is its field. 
Its responsibility to one part of that world field 
is no greater than to another. If it is under obliga- 
tions to make its community Christian, it has equal 
obligations to make China and India and Africa 
and South America Christian. A church cannot be 
loyal to Christ and make any gradation in its pur- 
pose. It cannot say, for example, “ We must take 
care of our work for those in our own city—our 
evangelistic work, our social service—and then so 
far aS we can we must do our best for missions.” 
All is missions, and the church’s neighborhood and 
the world’s frontier are both equally to be considered 
in the church’s purpose and plans. 

One of the most encouraging things for the king- 
dom of God is the increasing number of churches 


The Purpose of the Church (i 


that accept as their purpose the winning of the / 
whole world to Christ and build their programs and © 
plans around it. Yet such churches are still all too 
few. As we have pointed out, very many churches, 
even good-sized, active churches, never stop to con- 
sider what their purpose is. Most churches that 
would make a serious study of the subject would 
doubtless accept unreservedly Christ’s program and 
purpose as theirs. The trouble is, the matter is 
not considered seriously and deliberately. With a 
world purpose in view, plans and activities would be 
more unified and more comprehensive. The whole 
work of the church would be far more effective. 
The outlook of the church would be wider. The 
interests of the members would be more diversified. 
Sympathies would be deeper. Activities would be 
greater. And best of all, the church would be tak- 
ing its part in the full program of Jesus—the re- 
demption of the whole world. 


No Conflict with Other Purposes 


Taking this as the purpose of the church does 
not mean a choice between the missionary purpose 
and other purposes. Rather all other worthy pur- | 
poses and aims are included and comprehended in — 
the missionary purpose. For example, to have the 
redemption of the world as the church’s controlling 
purpose does not limit in any degree the effort of 
the church to win to Christ members of the con- 
gregation or of the community who are not Chris- 
tians. On the contrary, that is genuine missionary 
work. Missionary work in its largest sense includes, 
every effort to establish the dominion of Christ © 


8 Making a Missionary Church 





wherever it does not hold sway, in the hearts of 
men and in the life of mankind. Evangelism takes 
its place in that all-inclusive purpose. Teaching is. 
vital to its realization. Social service is necessary 
to its complete fulfilment. None of these phases 
of the church’s work is likely to be given its proper 
place in proportion to the whole work or to be con- 
ducted in the true spirit unless thought of as a part 
of the world missionary program of the kingdom. 
They are all means to the one great end of winning 
the world to Christ and his ideals. Their meaning 
and value depend on the missionary spirit that enters 
into them. 

Considering missions in the narrower sense, as 
commonly understood, it is simply the extension 
of evangelism and Christian education and Chris- 
tian social service beyond the local community to 
other communities in our own and other lands. 
The work which a church is doing in China through 
an evangelist missionary is the same as it is doing 
in America through its pastor. And the work it is 
doing in India through a teacher missionary is just 
what it is doing in its Christian schools in this 
country. The fact is, there is no real distinction — 
between a church’s local work and its missionary 
work. They are essentially the same. The only 
line of demarcation is an imaginary geographical 
one. The local work is carried on where the mem- 
bers of the church can see it and have a part per- 
sonally in it: the missionary work is conducted 
where they cannot see it and where they have part 
in it through their gifts, their prayers, and their 
representatives. 


The Purpose of the Church 9 


Missionary Success Depends on Leaders Getting this 
Conception of the Church’s Mission 


If the missionary work of the churches is to be 
fully successful the leaders of the churches must 
come to understand the missionary purpose of the 
church. By this is meant not the denominational 
leaders but the leaders of the local churches—the ’. 
pastors and official members. For missionary work 
is in the final analysis the work of the local churches, 
and what a local church does depends on its leaders. 
Primarily the responsibilty for leadership rests 
upon the pastor; his attitude, his ideals, his aims, 
his intellectual and spiritual horizon, his interpre- 
tation of the gospel of Jesus and of the mission of 
the church, will. inevitably determine the interests 
and activities and achievements of his church. If 
he interprets the mission of the church with a 
major emphasis on its local application, his church 
may be active in evangelism and community service, 
but is not likely to do much for those beyond 
its locality. If he has not grasped the conception 
of the church as a missionary organization, re- 
sponsible to Christ for establishing his kingdom in 
all the world so far as its resources make that 
possible, he may give a limited attention to missions, 
but it will be secondary and subordinate to the 
attention he devotes to the development of the 
church’s local work—evangelism, religious educa- 
tion, community uplift. In loyalty to his denomina- 
tion he may present the denominational missionary 
program to his church, and even be active in push- 
ing it, up to a certain point, but unless he is 


10 Making a Missionary Church 


mastered by the passion of Jesus for world con- 
quest he will not make his church a missionary 
church, and his own activities in behalf of missions 
will depend on the urging of the denominational 
boards or his concern for his denominational stand- 
ing. Even the financial contributions of the church 
will not be all that is possible without the inspira- 
tion of the missionary motive deep-seated in the 
heart and life of the pastor. And money, impor- 
tant as it is in God’s plan for his church’s work, 
is not the only thing necessary. There must be 
prayer, earnest, persistent, intelligent, and the 
offering of lives for missionary service. These de- 
pend generally on the pastor—his personal influence 
and efforts as he goes about among his people, 
and his plans and his spoken messages. 

In other words, the pastor is the key to the mis- 
sionary situation, and what his church is and does 
depends on him. In Chapter III we indicate how 
he can develop an intelligent missionary ideal for 
himself. It is sufficient here to emphasize the 
essential importance of such an ideal and to point 
out how few pastors enter fully into the concep- 
tion of the establishment of Christ’s world king- © 
dom as the real, fundamental work of the individual 
church. Missions will not take its rightful place 
in the program of the local churches, and the mis- 
sionary efforts of the churches and denominations 
will not achieve their full success, until pastors 
and other church leaders understand the primary \ 
work of their churches to be missions, of whic L\ 
everything else is a part or for which it is a prepara- 
tion, : 


The Purpose of the Church 11 


Sharing the responsibility of the pastor for the 
missionary outlook of the church are the official mem- 
bers, superintendent of the church school, deacons, 
stewards, members of session, etc. The first work 
of the pastor is to train the official leaders to a 
right conception of the church’s mission and an 
intelligent activity in missions. Next to the pastor, 
they are the ones who determine the attitude and 
direction of the work of the church. Indeed, they 
can strongly influence the pastor in the formation 
of his ideals and the formulation of his plans. And 
in some parts of the church’s work they have almost 
if not quite as much influence as the pastor. In the 
church school, for example, the superintendent can 
largely determine the amount and quality of the 
missionary education which the pupils receive, and 
can greatly help or hinder the pastor’s efforts to 
realize the school’s missionary aim. So that it is 
almost equally important that not only the pastor 
but all the official leaders of a church have the 
missionary vision and understand the missionary 
purpose of the church. And of course the possi- 
bilities of the church in the working out of its 
mission will not be realized until every member is 
fired by the missionary zeal and dominated by 
Christ’s passion for world conquest. This must be 
the aim of pastor and officers, in their work of 
leading the church in the task Christ has given it. 


A Purpose Worth While 


Here is a purpose that is worth while. Any 
church that sets before itself as its aim and goal 
1See Chapter IV. 


=e 


12 Making a Missionary Church 


the establishing of the kingdom of God in all the 
world and in the lives and relations of all men, 
will not fail to grow in strength or to develop its 
members spiritually or to reach the people of its 
own community. The greater includes the less. 
There is no greater aim or ambition than the mis- 
sionary purpose. And to make every other aim and 
every other plan contributory to this matchless one 
which is Christ’s, is to make certain the fulfilling 
of every lesser one that is worthy. The greatest 
need in the kingdom of God is churches and pastors 
big enough and bold enough and Christlike enough 
to take a chance on success at home, in their own 
community, for the sake of success in the great 
world field which the Lord has committed to them. 
God will not fail a church or a pastor that takes 
such a venture of faith. | 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


R. E. Speer, “ The New Opportunity of the Church.” 
Macmillan Co. 80 cents. 

J. W. Shackford, ‘The Program of the Christian 
Religion.”” Methodist Book Con. 80 cents. 

Sherwood Eddy, “‘ Everybody’s World.” George H. 
Doran Co. $1.90. 

E. C. Moore, ‘“‘ West and East.” Charles Scribner’s 
Sons. $4.00. . 

R. E. Diffendorfer, “‘ Missionary Education in Home 
and School.” Methodist Book Con. $2.00. 

A. E. Garvie, “The Missicnary Obligation in the 
Light of the Changes in Modern Thought.” 
George H. Doran Co. 75 cents. 


II 


A UNIFIED MISSIONARY PLAN FOR THE 
CHURCH | 


Need for a Unified Plan 


A unified missionary purpose for the church, as 
outlined in the preceding chapter, naturally means 
a unified missionary plan for the whole church. If 
a church sets before itself its missionary objective, 
and holds that objective continually before itself, 
all departments of the church and all phases of 
the work will be considered in its missionary plans, 
and the missionary objective will be in the fore- 
ground of the plans for each and all of these. This 
logically means a unified missionary plan for they 
whole church. All too few churches now have such 
a plan. 

Think of some of the churches with which you are 
familiar. Some organizations pay no attention to 
missions whatever. Others are likely to make each 
its own missionary plans, without reference to those 
of any other. The woman’s society follows plans 
suggested by the denominational women’s board. 
The Sunday school bases its plans on help furnished 
by the missionary education department of the de- 
nomination or by the Sunday school association. 
The young people’s society also has its own inde- 
pendent plans. And the church at large makes its » 
plans without considering the relation of these and 
other departments to them. 


13 


14 Making a Missionary Church 





The financial objective is the most common ex- 
ception, the various departments and organizations 
of most churches uniting in relation to the amount 
which the church decides to contribute to the de- 
nominational missionary enterprise. Yet even this 
exception is not always in evidence, and the church 
at large may be working for an apportionment to 
be applied to the general missionary purposes of 
the denomination, while the young people’s society 
or the Sunday school is trying to raise a separate 
sum for a special object that has attracted them, 
or even giving all their missionary offerings to 
work entirely outside the denomination or the 
church’s plan. | 

The need for a unified missionary plan for such 
a church is self-evident. Only by making a plan that 
will take in all the organizations and departments, 
whatever may be their special purpose, and on the 
other hand relating all its missionary activities to 
this unified plan, and organizing its work and mem- 
bership and resources in such a way as to make 
possible the carrying out of this unified plan, can 
a church make its full contribution to the great 
missionary enterprise and fulfil its purpose as a 
church of Christ. 

We do not lack for books dealing with the prin- 
ciples of missions and the larger missionary ques- 
tions, nor for suggestions for the missionary work 
of special bodies in the church, especially the Sunday 
school and the woman’s society. But there is no 
book that deals in a practical, comprehensive way 
with the missionary work of the local church as a4 
whole, the making and carrying out of a unified 


A Unified Missionary Plan 15 


plan for the whole church and all its departments 
and activities. So that a chapter at least may very 
profitably be devoted to the consideration of such 
a plan. 


Missionary Education not Distinct from Religious Edu- 
cation 


One reason for the lack of attention to the formu- 
lation of a unified missionary plan in so many 
churches is the distinction which has been made, 
between missionary education and religious educa- 
tion—a distinction which is entirely false. The two 
are not separate and unrelated. Religious education 
includes missionary education, and no course of re- 
ligious education is complete that does not include 
full and adequate study of missions. Nor can any 
one—pastor, church officer, teacher or any one else— 
be considered educated in religion who is not in- 
formed on the great missionary teachings of the Bible 
and the great names and achievements of the modern 
missionary enterprise. Unfortunately not all re- 
ligious leaders are qualified according to this stand- 
ard. There are plenty of teachers in church Bible 
schools who seldom or never teach a missionary 
lesson from the Bible, and there are plenty of pastors 
whose plans for religious education in their churches 
have little or no provision for instruction in mis- 
sions, leaving this to the women or the young peo- 
ple’s society. 

The fault is twofold. In the first place, the leaders 
of religious education for a long time refused to 
give place to missions in their plans and courses. 
Some had not seen the missionary vision; some 


16 Making a Missionary Church 


looked upon education in missions as important, 
but considered it outside the province of Bible-school 
teachers or other educational leaders in the church. — 
So those who understood the fundamental im- 
portance of the missionary spirit and outlook in 
the life of every Christian and every church were 
compelled to bring out separate courses in missions 
and promote special plans for missionary education. 
On the other hand, missionary leaders have been 
jealous for the work so close to their hearts, and 
have often insisted on promoting their plans for 
missionary education apart from the established 
departments of religious education, even where these 
were favorable to cooperation. The result has been | 
the false distinction between religious education and 
missionary education, which has reacted unfavor- 
ably on the missionary ideals of the local church 
and on the unification of its missionary plans. 


All Departments Need Missionary Education 


The need for a unified, thoroughgoing missionary 
plan in a church is clear from the fact that all the 
members of the church, young and old, need mis- 
sionary education. Naturally we think of education 
as belonging to the Sunday school. And we have 
begun to educate the children and young people in 
the school in missions. But we have only begun.* It 
is supremely important that from the earliest stages 
of their experience of religious teaching, children» 
should have a true conception of the gospel of Jesus 
and the relation of God to all his children. Of 
course the details of missionary biography and his- 

1See Chapter VII. 


A Unified Missionary Plan 17 


tory and geography cannot be given all at once, but 
the great “‘ whosoevers ” of the Bible can be taught, 
and illustrated with stories from mission lands. 
Then gradually the heroes of missions can be intro- 
duced, with the rest of the full-rounded course of 
missionary instruction which should form a part 
of the curriculum of religious education. It is an » 
entire mistake to suppose that missions properly 
taught will not interest the members of the school. 
The trouble is not with the subject, nor with the 
boys and girls—they will listen open-mouthed to 
some of the stories that can be told—but with the 
teachers, who have not grasped the greatness of | 
the gospel, or allowed their imagination to give them 
the enticing vision of the world purpose and oppor- 
tunity of their church. Every boy and girl in the 
church should have the privilege of starting right 
in his study of the Bible, the gospel, and Christian 
service. 

But education is not limited to those in school. 
Most people know a good deal more than they 
learned in school—more current history, more about 
life in many lands, more of human nature and human 
needs, more about how to live and how to do things 
in the world. There is a good deal more to be 
learned than is contained in the more or less ele- 
mentary course most of us studied in school. In the 
same way there is a good deal more to be learned 
about missions than can well be included in the 
curriculum of the church school. And those who 
are not in the school should have the chance to learn 
and to keep on learning the great things of God’s 
great kingdom. Moreover, those in other groups, 


18 Making a Missionary Church 





like the men’s brotherhood, the women’s society, the 
young people’s organizations, the Boy Scouts, etc., 
have a group consciousness that leads them to look — 
at things from their own special view-point. Ad- 
vantage should be taken of this by the church in 
its missionary education plans, and every organiza- 
tion and group be included in a unified, comprehen- 
sive plan. The boys, for example, will jump eagerly 
at stories of missionary heroes told from the point 
of view of the Scouts, the young people will recog- 
nize the special responsibility and privileges that be- 
long to them as young people, the women will feel 
the needs of women when these come to them as 
members of the women’s society. Some of these | 
groups are receiving worthy attention—for example, 
the women’s society—but others receive scant notice 
in the plans for missionary education of the ordinary 
church. The recognition of missions as the chief 
purpose of the church, and the adoption of a uni- 
fied missionary plan which will take in the whole 
church with all its various departments and organi- 
zations, will make up the deficiency and give to 
every member of the whole church the knowledge 
of what God has done and is doing and can do in 
the world, that is the joyous privilege of every 
Christian. 


All Need Missionary Activities 


A comprehensive missionary plan will include not 
only learning but doing. To absorb knowledge 
without putting the knowledge to some use may give 
a broader horizon and stimulate mental interest, 
but surely does not make the time and thought yield 


A Unified Missionary Plan 19 


all it should, for oneself or for others. This is true 
of all knowledge, and especially knowledge that is 
related to the world kingdom of Jesus—a wide 
enough field as we shall see. Christian activity 
ought to be planned in every church to take in every 
member. And when we remember that the supreme 
work of the church is the establishing of the king- 
dom of God in the whole world—the missionary 
task—we shall realize the importance of giving every 
member a part in the missionary activities of the 
church. These activities will of course include the 
raising and giving of money; but this is not the only 
missionary activity in which members of a church 
should. engage. Missionary prayer should be 
planned to fit the interests and experience of the 
various groups in the church. And personal service 
through missionaries abroad and especially in local 
mission fields at home, within the reach of every 
church, should have its place among the well-planned 
activities of a church in fulfilling comprehensively 
its missionary purpose. 


The Work Needs the Whole Church 


Conversely, the whole church is needed by the 
missionary task. As pointed out, various groups, 
the women, the men, the boys, etc., each appreciate 
more than other groups certain features of the 
spreading kingdom enterprise, and each can there- 
fore along these lines make to some degree a more 
effective contribution to the world work than others. 
What women have contributed can be appreciated 
only by those who know how vast a revolution has 
been wrought in the lives of Eastern women by the 


20 Making a Missionary Church 


message Western women have carried them. The 
enthusiasm, fearlessness, originality, and consecra- 
tion of youth is ever needed by the missionary enter- 
prise. The experience and vision and business acu- 
men of men of affairs must be increasingly enlisted 
in this biggest and most important of all businesses. 
And the participation of even the boys and girls is 
quite essential to remind us of the children in 
heathen lands, born not heathen but just children, 
for whom we ought to do our mightiest to save them 
from becoming heathen. 

In other words the work of missions calls for the 
enthusiastic, intelligent enlistment of every group, 
department, and organization in the church. It is 
too vast and too varied a task to belong to only a 
certain group and only a part of the church. The 
work will be successful only as all groups and de- 
partments—the whole church—are brought into the 
program of missionary activity. All must find their 
place in the church’s missionary plans. Hence the 
need for a unified missionary program for the 
church. 


Unified Missionary Plan Will Be Comprehensive 


A unified missionary plan for a church, linking 
up all departments to a well-planned program, is 
far more likely to be comprehensive and complete 
than the unstudied program that is so common. It | 
will include a carefully planned program of mission- 
ary education. All groups, departments, and organi- 
zations will be provided for; there will be something 
for every member of the church, young and old, 
carefully chosen to fit the capacities, experience, 


A Unified Missionary Plan 21 


and interests of each. All phases of missions will 
be included in the educational program. Stories of 
heroism, descriptions of life in mission lands, tales 
of missionary work, studies of missionary methods, 
the Biblical basis of missions, achievements of mis- 
sions, present-day missionary ideals and objectives, 
the missionary situation in home and foreign fields, 
missionaries and fields of the church’s own denomi- 
nation, need and qualifications of new missionaries, 
need and results of missionary prayer, the financial 
side of missions, our personal responsibility—all 
subjects which will make up a complete course in 
missionary education should have their place in the 
educational plans for the different parts of the 
church. 

Prayer will be given a prominent place in the mis- 
sionary program. ‘There should be education in 
prayer, as already suggested—its authority in Scrip- 
ture, its scope, its purpose, its results, its possibili- 
ties, but the practise of prayer for missions should 
also be provided for, with definite plans for the use 
of this mighty divine means to accomplish results. 

Giving of money must be included in the unified 
plan, not haphazard giving, but carefully studied 
and arranged, according to the best proved methods 
and the recommendations of the church’s denomi- 
nation. Here, as with prayer, all groups in the 
church should be reached and all kinds of missionary 
work should be included in the objects for which 
the money is given. 

Personal missionary service should have its place 
in the program also. This is too commonly left out 
of the missionary plans of a church, as though all 


22 Making a Missionary Church 


our mission fields were far away and all our mis- 
sionary work must be done at arm’s length or 


through others. There is hardly a church that does 


not have a mission field within reach—often right 
at its doors—and all the members of the church 
should be enlisted, so far as possible, in definite plans 
to reach with the gospel ministry those in the 
church’s local mission field. Old and young can find 
a part in personal missionary work, and the unified 
plan should make full provision for this. There are 
also personal relations with missionaries which are 
helpful and important and which should be planned 
and encouraged. 


Unified Plan Will Solve Missionary Problems 


A comprehensive plan, taking in the whole church, 
and covering all phases of missions, is essential to 
the full success of the missionary enterprise. In 


the first place, such a plan will give the church-wide, 
knowledge of missions without which the coopera- \ 


tion of the members generally in giving and other 
missionary service cannot be expected. The widest 
and most thorough missionary education is necessary 
for the largest practical results, and this is possible 
only when the whole church is united in a single, 


comprehensive plan. In the second place, a unified \/ 


plan brings all groups in the church into one com- 
bined financial program, making possible the full- 
est and most effective use of the financial resources 


of the church. In the third place, a well-studied » 


program of prayer is assured in a unified missionary 


plan, educating the young in the wide-ranging” 


power of prayer, widening the spiritual horizon of 


A Unified Missionary Plan 23 


the whole church, and releasing divine resources 
that are available in proportion to the prayers of 
Christians. In the fourth place, personal Christian 
service, so tremendously needed in local home- 
mission fields, is made available, being a necessary 
part of a church’s unified missionary program. And 
finally, a unified plan emphasizes the fundamental 
importance of missions, and besides creating the 
mental and spiritual foundation on which the mis- 
sionary results mentioned can be built, gives a 
stimulus to all the other work of the church and 
presents to the community a true idea of the church’s 
complete work and purpose. Only a unified mission- 
ary plan can solve the pressing problems of missions 
and make possible the conquest of the world for 
Christ. | 


How Make a Unified Plan? 


We have seen what a unified missionary plan is 
and what it should include. Consider now the de- 
tails of the plan. How shall a church go to work ¢ 
to make it? First of all, let it be understood that ’’ 
the details will of necessity differ in different 
churches and different denominations. Fundamen- 
tally the plan will be the same, but the details will 
vary according to the organization, size, denomina- 
tional traditions, missionary development, educa- 
tional and financial resources, and community sur- 
roundings of the church. No suggestions made here 
can be followed without variation, but must be 
adapted to the local conditions in every case. The 
denominational program should be considered, and 
the church plans should be linked up to that pro- 


24, Making a Missionary Church 


gram. The suggestions of the various denomina- 
tional boards or societies as to organization and 
plans should be taken into account in making the 
church plan. The various groups and organizations 
in the church need to be studied, with reference to 
the extent of the plan. The personnel of the church, 
in number, education, availability, etc., is another 
factor to be considered. Let no one think, however, 
that his church is peculiarly situated and has diffi- 
culties that other churches do not have, and that 
hence a unified comprehensive plan is impracticable 
in its case. The plan need not be elaborate, but no 
other plan is worthy of the great kingdom cause for 
which each church exists, and no other will enlist. 
all the resources of the church in this great cause. 


Church’s Official Board Should Make Plan 


The planning of the missionary work of a church 
ought not to be left to the missionary committee or 
any other subsidiary body. This is the church’s 
supreme work—its largest, most important task— 
and the highest official group in the church should 
have it in charge.._As it is a unified plan which is 
to be made, including all departments and relating © 
all to the one comprehensive program, the construc- 
tion of the plan should not be left to any individual 
nor to the representative of any society or organi- 
zation. The president of the woman’s missionary 
society can make a large contribution in the making 
of the church missionary plan, but cannot make a 
satisfactory plan for the whole church. The young 
people’s society may have a good missionary com- 
mittee, but its chairman is not able by himself to 


A Unified Missionary Plan 25 


plan the missionary work of the whole church. 
Neither of these, nor any other leaders, by them- 
selves can plan the work of the whole church. All, 
lines of work and all departments of the church 
should have a share in the planning of the church’s 
missionary program. If the church is properly 
organized, the chief official body includes represen- ’ 
tatives of all the various phases of the work— 
Bible school, woman’s society, young people’s so- 
ciety, men’s brotherhood, etc.—besides the more 
general interests of the church. Quite too generally 
the official board is not thus made up, and there is 
no board or committee which can intelligently con- 
sider the work of the church as a whole, with all 
its many societies and other special groups. The 
lack of such a central planning board is a sufficient 
reason for the aimless, inefficient work of some 
churches. Where such is the case, the highest official 
body—deacons and trustees, trustees and stewards, 
Session, or whatever it may be—should call into coun- 
cil with themselves the official representatives of all 
the principal organizations and departments and var- 
ious phases of work, and of course the missionary 
committee, if there is one. The final decision should 
be in the hands of the official board itself, that the 
plan adopted may be the official action of the church, 
but all available wisdom should be sought in this 
most important task. 

Before the board meets to make the plan, the 
pastor, as the one primarily responsible, should give 
the matter his most careful and prayerful thought 
and study. First of all, he needs to grasp fully the 
missionary purpose of the church and believe un- 


20 Making a Missionary Church 


flinchingly in it as Christ’s mission for his church 
and as a possibility for his and every other church. 
Then he must study thoroughly the whole subject 
of missions and particularly the missionary work 
and program of his own denomination. If he is 
keeping up his studies and is keeping informed on 
the work of the kingdom, this will not be a great 
\' task. Next he has to consider the different groups 
in the church. And finally he has to block out a plan 
for the official board to consider. The director of 
religious education, if there is one, and other edu- 
cational and missionary leaders in the church, can 
be of help to him in this task. 

Then the board is called together—not after the. 
midweek prayer-meeting nor when only a few can 
be present, but for a whole evening on a date care- 
fully considered to secure the largest and most 
representative attendance. The importance of the 
meeting should be emphasized strongly so that all 
will come realizing their responsibility. The meet- 
ing should be given up solely to the consideration 
of the church’s missionary plan; other business 
should be considered at a different meeting. Make it 
clear that missions is of the first importance. ) 

When the board meets—with representatives of 
the various church interests if these are not ade- 
quately represented in the board—the first thing \_ 
is a study of the purpose of the church and its | 
missionary character and objective. This should 
be led by the pastor, who should have prepared him- 
self well by a careful study of the Scriptures. It 
need scarcely be added that unless he has a thorough 
conviction himself regarding the missionary purpose 


A Unified Missionary Plan 27 


of the church, he cannot convince his board or carry 
them with him in any plans he may make. 

Then the question should be considered, What 
should a Christian know of missions?? List every 
phase of missions that you think may properly be 
included. Do not be afraid of making the list too 
long; you can modify it later. Classify the subjects 
listed, so as to indicate those of most immediate 
importance. 

Then consider the departments and organizations 
in the church. List them all, not omitting any, 
even those apparently least related to missionary 
work, for you will remember that this is to be a 


comprehensive plan for the whole church. Now |, 


what subjects of knowledge, activity, and service /’ 
that you have listed can be assigned to the various 
departments and organizations? For example, the 
Bible school should include in its curriculum certain 
subjects for study, and certain activities also. The 
women’s society should provide for certain special 
phases of information, and should plan for prayer 
and giving and also local mission work. Raise the 
question about every society, guild, and other organi- 
zation connected with the church. Ask about each, 
How can it be utilized to build up its members in 
missionary knowledge and interest? How can it 
be used in the doing of actual missionary work? 
Some of the phases of the missionary plan that may 
properly be assumed by the different departments, 
are considered in detail in later chapters of this 
book. It will be seen at once that both the educa- 
tional subjects and the forms of service must be 
2See page 112. 


28 Making a Missionary Church 


graded to the ages and Christian development of 
the various groups. Careful thought needs to be 
given to this, in order that the plan may not break” 
down by being ill-adapted to those for whom it is 
prepared. 

As an aid in securing unity of plan and effort, 
one country or field may be chosen, or one foreign 
and one home field, planning the study and activity 
around these. These special interests will need to 
be changed from year to year, however, so as to 
cover the whole field of missionary knowledge. And 
there are some subjects and some lines of service 
that perhaps will not be related to the special field 
of interest, that may be included in the plan each | 
year. The denominational program should be fol- 
lowed, and the church plan should be related closely 
to it. The financial objective should be that pro- 
posed by the denomination, and the financial plans 
of every organization should be linked up to this 
objective. 

Thus make up the missionary plan for your 
church. A few cautions: Do not attempt too much 
the first year, but whether the program be small or 
great let it be a unified one, linking up every organi- | 
zation in the church to the one plan. Do not be 
afraid of undertaking new lines of, study and activ- 
ity; keep in mind the fundamental missionary pur- 
pose of the church, and see that some part of the 
program is given to each organization and group. 
Do not try to force the plan through or any part 
if it; most churches cannot be driven, and most 
church societies and clubs are pretty independent. 
If the pastor has been educating his church in mis- 


A Unified Missionary Plan 29 


sions, as suggested in other chapters of this book, 
there will be little difficulty in securing the coopera- 
tion of the leaders of the various organizations, es- 
pecially if they are taken into counsel by the official 
board; but there may be a leader who balks and 
kicks, and some very patient and diplomatic work 
may be necessary, coupled it may be with “ prayer 
and fasting,” before hearty team-work is secured. 
But the effort is abundantly worth while. 


Suggestive Plans 


We give here two plans to illustrate the uniform 
missionary plan that has been described, one a com- 
prehensive program of missionary information and 
service for the whole church, the other a study of one 
subject by the whole church. They will show what 
is intended and indicate the possibilities of the 
unified plan. In the last analysis, each church must 
work out its own plan, developing and improving 


it from year to year. The important thing is to. 


adopt the principle of a unified plan for the whole 
church and to make a beginning along such lines as 
may be most practicable. 


PLAN I 


A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAM FOR THE WHOLE 
CHURCH 
BIBLE SCHOOL 


Aim: To gain the spirit of world friendship and to lay a 
foundation of missionary knowledge. 


Course: As suggested in Chapter VII. 


30 Making a Missionary Church 





YOUNG PEOPLE’S SOCIETIES 


Aim: To supplement Sunday-school course with more con- | 
crete knowledge and with practical service. 


1. YOUNGER SOCIETIES 


Program of Information: Programs, dramatizations, talks, 
on children and young people of other lands and 
races; church reading course. 


Program of Service: Friendly service to foreigners in com- 
munity, White Cross work, summer Christmas-tree for 
@ missionary, collecting curios and photos, etc. 


2. OLDER SOCIETIES 


Program of Information: Study classes, programs, debates, 
dramatizations, on missionary work and problems, es- 
pecially the missionary plans of the denomination; 
church reading course. 


Program of Service: Missionary work in the community 
(including friendly visiting), White Cross work, sum- 
mer Christmas-tree, relieving definite needs of mission- 
aries, making maps and posters, volunteering for 
Christian life service, contributing through church 
treasury, etc. 


WOMAN’S SOCIETY 


Aim: To supplement Sunday-school course with more inti- 
mate knowledge of women and children of other lands 
and races, what has been done for them and what still 
needs to be done. #. 


Program of Information: Study classes, programs, drama- 
tizations, addresses, on work of denominational mission 
boards and missionaries; church reading course. 


Program of Service: Missionary work in community, White 
Cross work, relieving special needs of missionaries, 
extension work for women not in society, contributing 
through church treasury, etc. 


A Unified Missionary Plan 31 





MEN’S BROTHERHOOD 


Aim: To supplement Sunday-school course with more in- 
timate knowledge of men of other lands and races; to 
understand the larger affairs of their national life 
from the Christian point of view. 


Program of Information: Study classes, addresses, debates; 
church reading course. 


Program of Service: Friendly service to foreigners in com- 
munity, relieving definite needs of missionaries, pro- 
viding material for missionary museum and library, 
contributing through church treasury, etc. 


GENERAL 


Aim: To present to the whole church the missionary pur- 
pose of Christianity; to provide missionary material 
for all groups in the church. 


Program of Information: Missionary sermons, missionary 
references in sermons and prayers, addresses on the 
denominational program, stereopticon lectures; mis- 
sionary training of church officers; literature, museum, 
bulletin-board, calendar; home stories and games. 


Program of Service: Systematic enlistment of members in 
definite missionary prayer; weekly giving to missions 
by all members; enlistment of qualified young people 
for Christian life service. 


PLAN II 


ONE SUBJECT FOR WHOLE CHURCH 


E. g., Japan 


This is a simplification of Plan I, the attention of 
the whole church and of all organizations being 


32 Making a Missionary Church 





focused upon Japan. The suggestions given in 
Plan I can be followed, limiting the programs of 
information and service to Japan, the Japanese, and 
missionaries to the Japanese. Plan II may have a 
foreign mission topic for one part of the year and a 
home mission topic for another part. The topics 
can be varied from year to year. The subjects sug- 
gested by the Missionary Education Movement may 
be taken up if desired. The ae is a ts 
outline: 


BIBLE SCHOOL 
Course of study and service as suggested in Chapter VII, 
focusing attention upon Japan. 
YOUNG PEOPLE’S SOCIETIES 
Customs in Japan and relation of the denomination’s mis- 
sionaries to them. 
WOMAN’S SOCIETY 


Women and children of Japan. 


MEN’S BROTHERHOOD 


Men of Japan. 
Japan and America from Christian standpoint. 


GENERAL iF 


Illustrations from Japan in sermons. 
Stereopticon lectures on Japan. 
Reading course, stressing Japan. 


News items and pictures on Japan in calendar and on 
bulletin-board. 


Home stories and Japanese games for children, 
Use of literature on Japan, 


A Unified Missionary Plan 33 


The carrying out of the plan calls for the mission- 
ary organization of the church. The plan will not 
be put into operation or carried through successfully 
without responsibility on the part of some who are 
carefully selected and definitely assigned to the task. 
We reserve for Chapter XV the discussion of that 
phase of the plan, but it should be recognized at the 
beginning as of the utmost importance. 


A Unified Plan for Each Denomination 


In concluding this chapter a paragraph may 
properly be added regarding a unified missionary 
plan for each denomination. In some denominations 
such a plan is in operation, but in others the adop- 
tion of special forward movement plans and pro- 
motional campaigns has tended to emphasize the 
immediate financial objective at the expense, for 
example, of general missionary education, so that 
the denominational program gives little place to the 
educating of the church in missionary knowledge. 
Yet the latter is fundamental, and the success of the 
whole missionary program depends on it. The 
trouble is that the immediate financial objective 
looms so large, and it seems so essential to concen- 
trate attention and effort on this, that the more 
fundamental education is obscured. Some attention 
of course is given to this, but only in connection with 
the financial campaign. Nothing could be more 
short-sighted. The neglect of missionary education 
makes the securing of future funds more difficult. 
It would be far better to spend less on the immediate 
program and lay a strong foundation for the future, 
even at the expense of somewhat smaller immediate 


34: Making a Missionary Church 


receipts. In the long run the financial results would 
be vastly increased. 

Every denominational program ought to include 7 
thoroughgoing plans of missionary information and 
service. Every board and agency having any part 
in missionary education should be brought into the 
program. The theological seminaries ought to be 
enlisted in cooperation, so that the courses given 
by their teachers of missions may be more intimately 
related to the needs of the churches and the pro- 
gram of the denomination. Almost nothing along 
this line has been done, and in most seminaries 
the missionary instruction is entirely unrelated to 
the needs of pastors, churches, and the denomina- 
tion. Each local church should be urged to adopt 
a unified and continuous missionary program for 
all departments and groups. The whole denomina- 
tion should be enlisted in a unified program. -The 
leaders in all denominations may well restudy their 
missionary programs with a view to making them 
comprehensive in the widest sense. — 


II! 
THE TRAINING OF THE PASTOR 


The Pastor the Key to the Missionary Problem 


No plan can work itself. Some one or some group, 
as pointed out in the previous chapter, must be re- 
sponsible for carrying into operation the missionary 
plan of the church. And the chief responsibility 
rests upon the pastor. He is the key to the whole 
missionary problem. Upon his grasp of the funda- 
mental missionary principles of the gospel, his mis- 
sionary knowledge and intelligence, his ability to 
apply these principles in the making of the church’s 
missionary plan, and his faithfulness, perseverance, 
and tactfulness in carrying the plan into effect, de- 
pends the success or failure of the church as a mis- 
sionary organization. If he does not have a pro- 
found conviction that the supreme purpose for 
which his church exists is to establish the reign 
of Christ in the whole wide world, his church can- 
not be expected to have as wide a horizon as that. 
It is quite natural to have most prominently in mind 
the things you can see. The needs and opportunities 
in the community are tangible and are likely to im- 
press the members of the church more strongly than 
the situation beyond the community, where the peo- 
ple are never seen and their needs are never felt 
at first hand. Yet every church is responsible 
equally for the Christianizing of its own community 
and the Christianizing of the world outside. It 

35 


36 Making a Missionary Church 


rests with the pastor to give his people a clear 
understanding of the universal character of the 
gospel and its universal imperative, to develop in - 
their hearts and minds a solid conviction of the 
missionary character and purpose of their church. 
Whether they are little Christians with a narrow 
conception of the gospel and of Christ and a limited 
horizon of Christian service, or whether they are 
great Christians, grasping the mighty idea of a 
world gospel and the unlimited scope of activities 
open to them and to their church, depends on the 
pastor. What he is they will inevitably be. His 
church will succeed or fail in its mission as he suc- 
ceeds or fails to grasp the fundamental meaning of — 
that mission. 

The pastor must be the teacher of his church; he 
must lead them in the continual acquiring of mis- 
sionary knowledge. The interest of the church and 
its members will naturally be directed toward the 
things that are known. There is plenty to interest 
in the story of missionary conquest, and the story 
is readily available for those who want to know it, 
but without suggestion and direction on the part 
of some one the members of the church will for 
the most part remain in ignorance of the fascinat- 
ing and inspiring tale. The pastor must know the 
facts and know where his people can get the facts. 
If he does not know, they will not know. And if they 
do not know, they will not pray and they will not. 
give. The pastor must in this, as in everything else 
in his church, be the leader, and by his own ex- 
ample and his enthusiastic and well-planned sug- 
gestion lead his people into a growing knowledge 


The Training of the Pastor 37 


of Christ’s expanding kingdom. The making of a 
missionary church depends primarily on the pastor. 

We have already noted the place of leadership 
which the pastor must take in formulating the mis- 
sionary plan of his church. Itis he who must survey 
the church, study the various phases of the mission- 
ary problem, and block out a preliminary plan for 
the consideration of the official body which is to 
act upon it. Let us emphasize again that by no 
means should he suppose that he can turn over to 
some one else in the church the leadership in this» 
important task. He cannot hope for ready ac- 
quiescence and enthusiastic action unless he him- 
self presents the plan to his church leaders. But 
any pastor will do well to take counsel with some 
who are specially fitted to advise, and if a church has 
a pastor who is not trained to study and who has 
little ability in making plans, happy is that church 
if the pastor is willing to take advice and accept 
the wisdom and experience of others. 7 

It is the pastor also who must lead the church 
in putting into operation the missionary plan which ° 
has been adopted. Some organization will be neces- 
sary,' but in any case the pastor must assume the 
responsibility for making the plan a success. In 
the first place, the leaders in the various depart- 
ments or societies need a good many suggestions as 
to carrying into effect the parts of the church plan 
that belong to them. They need encouragement, too, 
and the contagious enthusiasm of the pastor. And 
the pastor needs to supplement the work of the 
various leaders by judicious suggestion and volun- 

1See Chapter XV. 


38 Making a Missionary Church 


tary aid, though of course he can wreck the whole 
plan by untactful ‘ butting in.” Especially in the 
more general work of the: church, the public ser- 
vices, the preaching, the pastoral work, he must 
make it evident that he is interested heart and soul 
in the church’s missionary plan. Certainly if in 
anything he is to lead his church, the pastor must 
be at the forefront of its supreme work, its mission- 
ary task. He is the key to the missionary problem. 


The Responsibility of the Theological Seminaries 


Pastors need to be trained for leadership in the 
missionary work of their churches, and this. train- 
ing, like their training in Bible interpretation and 
preaching, may properly be expected to be given 
them in the theological seminary. Unfortunately, 
however, the seminaries that give an adequate 
preparation for missionary leadership in the home 
pastorate are few and far between. Very few em- 
phasize adequately the fundamental missionary pur- 
pose of the church. Only here and there is one 
found that offers its students a comprehensive 
survey of the church’s missionary problem. And 
strangely enough, there are not a dozen semina- 
ries presenting a full course in missionary educa- 
tion, or the principles and methods of developing 
and maintaining a missionary church. Theology, 
church history, homiletics, and Biblical interpreta- 
tion are well provided for, and many seminaries are 
now building up strong departments of religious 
education. But only a few have a full-grade pro- 
fessor giving full time to missions. Most men go’ 
from the theological seminary into the pastorate 


The Training of the Pastor 39 


with little preparation for the great task of making 
their churches missionary organizations, which shall 
do their full part in establishing a world kingdom 
for Christ. They have to pick up, wherever they 
can get them, through years it may be, the prin- 
ciples and methods with which they ought to have 
been familiar when they came out of the seminary. 


Responsibility of the Colleges 


Perhaps the colleges have some responsibility also 
in the missionary training of the pastor. Perhaps 
only denominational colleges will include missions 
as a part of the curriculum, though the question 
may properly be asked whether a department of 
religion ought not to be found in a complete college. 
But certainly every college graduate, especially those 
planning to enter the ministry, and who are to teach 
people the principles of the world-wide kingdom of 
God and lead the church in making Christianity 
world-wide in its scope, ought to have a world spirit, 
an international outlook—to view events in their 
universal relations and to be free from national 
prejudices and provincial ideas. Some courses to 
give this outlook and spirit should be part of the 
curriculum of every college. Even foreign mission- 
aries not infrequently go out without this essen- 
tial preparation, ignorant of the great world move- 
ments and provincial and nationalistic in their 
outlook and interest. The dean of one of the lan- 
guage schools for new missionaries in the Orient 
recently indicated this as the greatest handicap new 
missionaries have. Pastors, who are to organize and 
promote the plans for sending out missionaries and 


40 Making a Missionary Church 





maintaining their work, need the international out- 
look quite as much as the missionaries themselves, 
and the best place to secure this should be the col- 
lege. 


Responsibility of the Churches 


Certainly the churches are responsible for the mis- 
sionary training of pastors. The president of a 
theological seminary said, when some one criticized 
the output of the seminaries, “‘ We do the best we 
can with the material the churches send us.” The 
arly church training of a pastor counts for quite 
“.as much as his studies and experience in later life, 
so far as his outlook and interest are concerned. 
The writer vividly remembers going as a boy to 
meetings of the ‘ Little Gleaners”’ mission circle 
led by his mother, playing with other boys while the 
young women sewed patchwork, but stopping to 
listen to the missionary stories and to the song 
“Two cents a week and earnest prayer’; and he 
credits largely to his early training his apprecia- 
tion of the universal aspect of Christianity and its 
demand upon every Christian for missionary passion 
and missionary service. Teach a boy in Sunday 
school that Christ came to win to God everybody, 
black or white, yellow or brown, Oriental or Occi- 
dental, American or Japanese, show him that Jesus’ 
promises are for him only because Jesus said “ who- 
soever ”’ and “ every one,” talk to him of the gospel 
in broad terms, fill his mind with the thrilling 
stories of missionary heroism and the devotion of 
converts from heathen religions, spread out before ° 
him the bigness of the kingdom and the opportuni- 


The Training of the Pastor Al 


ties it offers for doing big things, and if he enters 
the ministry he will be thoroughly missionary in 
spirit and will set the true ideal before his church. 
Many young people never hear a missionary sermon* 
from their pastor, never have the missionary teach- 
ings of the Bible presented to them in Sunday 
school, never have a missionary book placed in their 
hands, and if they give anything for missions it is 
in response to a more or less perfunctory appeal, 
made in loyalty to the denomination rather than in 
full appreciation of the missionary purpose of the 
church. And very many pastors see something of 
the missionary meaning of the church and appeal 
for missionary offerings, but find the task a hard 
one and receive a poor response because back in 
their home churches in early days they never had 
things presented to them in true proportions. Their 
missionary education was neglected at its founda- 
tion, and it is hard for them to overcome the 
handicap. Nothing can take the place of the church 
itself in the training of the pastor for missionary 
leadership. 


The Pastor’s Training Should Be Continuous 


But it is not to be supposed that a pastor’s mis- 
Sionary training is to be limited to what he re- 


ceived in his home church as a youth, or that it is ~ 


to end with his seminary course. His training has 
noend. It must be continuous. Reading, study, ex- 
perience should all contribute to his equipment as a 
missionary leader. His seminary course ought to 
have given him information as to the materials of 
missionary knowledge and the sources of mission- 


42 Making a Missionary Church 


ary information. It goes without saying that a 
pastor should be incessantly a student. Of course 
he must study the Bible continually, and he will read ~ 
on religious themes. But he ought to be a diligent 
student of the kingdom—know how it is progress- 
ing, where there is success and where difficulties are 
encountered, how the work is being done under 
‘changing modern conditions, what are the best 
methods of missionary education, etc. Conditions 
of work change, the kingdom moves on, new ideas 
and plans are being worked out, and the up-to-date 
pastor who would keep his church informed on the 
progress of the kingdom and would lead his church 
in aggressive work in Christ’s world-wide enter- 
prise, must keep himself informed. He cannot af- 
ford to stand still or give up his missionary reading 
or study. | | 

There are plenty of men in the churches who are 
away out-of-date in their knowledge of Christian 
missions. They know what Paul and his associates 
did in inaugurating the mighty enterprise and they 
are enthusiastic about the great apostle-missionary, 
but they know very little of what has taken place 
in the world of missions since then, or of the work 
_ of present day missionary-apostles. Surely the pas- 
‘tor must not be like this. He if any one must be 
up-to-date in the affairs of the kingdom. Busy? Of 
course. Other things to study? Plenty of them. . 
Sermons take a good deal of time? Nodoubt. Other 
work to organize in the church? To be sure. But 
a pastor must plan his studies and his church work 
so as to keep things in their true proportions. Many ° 
pastors are very busy, without accomplishing half 


The Training of the Pastor 43 


of what they might do for the great kingdom of 
Jesus if they gave their attention to the chief things 
and planned the use of their time well. One of the 
essentials for the highest success of a minister is 
knowledge, and he can always find time—he can 
afford to take time—for this. Let a pastor determine 
that come what will he will keep informed on the 
principles and facts of Christ’s world-wide enter- 
prise, let him plan his missionary reading and study 
carefully, and he will be able to get into his limited 
time what he needs to keep up his training as a 
missionary leader. For his training must be con- 
tinuous. 


What Should a Pastor Know About Missions? 


We have already suggested many of the things a 
pastor should know in order to be a worthy and 
efficient leader of his church in its missionary enter- 
prise, but for clearness let us recapitulate them 
here. 

First of all, he should know what the Bible teaches 
about Christ’s mission and ours. He should be 
familiar with Jesus’ teachings in regard to the king- 
dom, and should understand the Biblical and social 
basis of missions. He should know what is the pur- 
pose of the church, and the relation of its evangelis- 
tic, educational, community service, and social work 
to its great missionary objective. 

Second, he should be familiar with the sources of | 
missionary knowledge. Of course he should take. 
and read his denominational missionary magazine, 
and should also know and if possible have at hand 
one or more interdenominational missionary jour- 


44, Making a Missionary Church 


nals. The current mission study-books and other 
recent books on missions should be familiar by title _ 
and contents, and the principal ones he should read. 
He should know what missionary books and period- 
icals are available in the public library. The pam- 
phlet literature should be well-known to him, and 
missionary catalogs should be on his study table. 
In fine, he ought to be an authority on missionary 
‘literature, and be able to tell his people just where 
to get information of all kinds on missions. 

Third, the great names of missionary history 

should be familiar to him, the names of mission- 
aries and the names of mission fields. A few names 
out of the premodern period should be known, like 
Francis Xavier and Raymund Lull, and the out- 
standing names of the eighteenth and nineteenth 
centuries, such as Carey, Eliot, Martyn, Mills, Mof- 
fat, Livingstone, Duff, Judson, and others. Names 
of countries, like India, Turkey, Egypt, Burma, etc., 
should mean not only political events and strange 
customs, but also achievements in the progress of 
the kingdom. Other lesser known mission fields, for 
example, Uganda, should also be known. ‘And, of 
course, he should be thoroughly familiar with the 
missions and living missionaries of his own denomi- 
nation. 
- Fourth, he ought to be acquainted with the dif- 
‘ferent forms and methods of work in both foreign 
and home fields, and the conditions of life that call 
for these various kinds of work. 

Fifth, he should understand the principal features _ 
of the non-Christian faiths, so as to appreciate the 
problems faced by the missionary and to realize the 


The Training of the Pastor 45 


great gift which we have for the people of those 
lands in Christianity. 

Sixth, he ought to know the objectives and aims 
of modern missions, foreign and home, especially 
the changed missionary appeal of more recent years. 

Seventh, he should know thoroughly the work that 
has been done and that needs to be done in the fields 
of his own denomination. 

Eighth, he should be somewhat familiar with in- 
terdenominational missionary movements and work, 
and the relation of his own denomination to them. 

Ninth, he should know his own denominational 
mission boards, their officers, the location of their 
headquarters, and the missionary plans and pro- 
gram of the denomination. 

Tenth, he should be acquainted with the best 
methods of missionary education, the most success- 
ful plans for securing money for missions, and the 
best plans suggested for organizing a church for its 
missionary task. 

Eleventh, he ought to know thoroughly the mis- 
sion field of his immediate vicinity, the foreign or 
neglected populations, the work being done for them, 
the resources of his own church for service among 
them, and the possibilities of mission work for and 
with them. 


A Course of Mission Study for the Pastor 


The above statement of what a pastor should know 
of missions suggests the importance of his laying 
out a definite course of study in missions. The pro- 
gressive pastor will always be studying, and as we 
have seen above, his training in missions ought to be 


46 Making a Missionary Church 


continuous. He should map out each year a course 
of reading and study, and though his time will be 
limited, he cannot hope to be a leader in the great — 
world-ranging kingdom enterprise of the church 
unless he stedfastly and assiduously studies missions. 
Let every young minister especially note this, and 
plan his time so as to become a world leader. _ 

If the theological seminary has given him proper 
‘preparation in missions, the pastor ought to find 
in the courses pursued there suggestions enough 
for his study and reading from year to year. Those 
courses at the minimum should have included: (1) 
a survey of the missionary problem of the church— 
the Biblical and social basis of missions, the ex- 
tent and quality of the Christianization of the vari- 
ous countries of the world, the religious and social 
forces opposed to Christianity, the work to be done, 
and the resources available for the task; and (2) a 
study of the principles and methods by which a 
church may be educated to its missionary task and 
may be led in the fulfilment of the task. Pursuing 
further the studies thus begun, the following outline 
may be helpful: 

1. Current missionary history, from denomina- 
tional and interdenominational periodicals. 

2. Missionary teaching of the Bible, studied in con- 
nection with sermon preparation, and also devotion- 
ally and historically; important in order to keep to 
the front in the pastor’s thinking the fundamental 
missionary purpose in Christianity. 

3. Religious and social conditions in mission 
fields; current mission-study text-books and other ’ 
more solid books. 


The Training of the Pastor 47 





4, Non-Christian religions; one religion may be 
considered each year. 

5. Modern missionary problems; read especially 
the International Review of Missions. 


A Missionary Survey of the Church 


In order to insure a thorough missionary educa- 
tion of his church and the most effective organiza- 
tion of the church’s resources for its missionary 
task, the pastor needs to know what those resources 
are. A study of the church should be made from . 
the point of view of the church’s missionary ideal » 
and purpose, and the various points of strength or 
weakness noted down. 

(1) What does the church know about missions? . 
This is the first question for answer. Is missionary 
teaching given in the Sunday school? If so, in what 
grades? Is the subject an integral part of the curri- 
culum, or is it taught only occasionally, or as a 
supplementary study? What are the specific sub- 
jects of missions included in the curriculum—in 
other words, how much does an adult member of 
the church who has been through the Sunday school 
know about the basis, obligations, methods, achieve- 
ments, workers, fields, needs, and possibilities of mis- 
sions? What attention is the young people’s society \\ 
giving to the subject? Is there a study class or 
are there reading groups? Is it one of the sub- 
jects for the devotional meetings of the society? If 
so, how often is it presented? What are the specific 
topics, and how effective are the methods for in- 
structing the members? The women’s society needs 
to be considered in the same way. What methods 


48 Making a Missionary Church 





are employed in giving missionary information? 
What subjects are presented, and how effectively? 
Then what about the men? Are any efforts being | 
made to bring adequately to their attention the facts 
of Christ’s expanding kingdom, to make them ac- 
quainted with the names and work of the great mis- 
sionary statesmen, to understand the motives, pre- 
sent-day objectives and methods of missions, and to 
appreciate the attractiveness of the bigness of the 
task and the compelling obligation for missionary 
gifts, prayer, and service upon every loyal servant 
of Christ? Are the opportunities offered by other 
organizations in the church, such as Boy Scouts, 
Camp Fire Girls, etc., being taken advantage of to | 
tie up young life to the Christian world crusade, and 
to turn in this direction the enthusiasms awakened 
by the special purposes of these organizations? 
Moreover, what are the resources in leadership? 
What members are qualified by education, experi- 
ence, or native ability to teach or to organize? Also 
what instruction in missions is given to the church 
at large by the pastor in Sunday sermons or mid- 
week services? Make a list of the subjects thus 
presented during the past two years. Finally, how 
many of the church-members are learning anything 
about missions, and how would you estimate the mis- 
sionary knowledge of the church as a whole? 

(2) To what extent are the prayer resources of , 
the church organized for missions? Clearly this in- | ~ 
volves more than occasional prayers, and more 
than vague, general, unintelligent praying. How 
often is prayer offered for missions or missionaries 
in the public services of the church, and what specific 


The Training of the Pastor 49 


subjects or persons have been thus mentioned in the 
last year? What plans are followed to enlist the 
members of the church in missionary prayer? Are 
definite plans and efforts made to give a basis of 
intelligent information to the missionary prayers 
of the church, and to make missionary praying in- 
teresting? What proportion of the church probably 
include missions in their private prayers? How 
would you estimate the effectiveness of the church’s 
prayer life? 

(3) Is the missionary giving of the church ade- 
quate, and to what extent is it organized on a 
thoroughgoing and intelligent basis? What are the 
methods of missionary giving? Is there an annual 
every-member canvass, and is it thoroughly organ- 
ized and followed up? What preparations are made 
to secure intelligent giving? To what causes are 
gifts made? Are the financial plans of the denomi- 
nation followed? What extra-denominational causes 
are included? Does the giving adequately represent 
the financial resources of the members, considering 
the individual members or groups? What instruc- 
tion is given in stewardship? How many tithers are 
there? Is systematic effort made to enlist members 
in proportionate giving? About what proportion 
of the income of the members is given to church ex- 
penses and beneficence, and how is this divided be- 
tween the two? Are all the various organizations 
and groups in the church reached by instruction in 
the principles of stewardship, and are they all in- 
cluded in the plans for missionary giving? If not 
all, what groups are omitted and why? How many 
members are giving regularly to missions, and what 


20 Making a Missionary Church 


proportion does this number represent? What are 
the probable causes for lack of giving on the part — 
of those not participating? 

(4) What practical missionary work is believe 
done by the members of the church? This includes 
work in the church’s community and help to home 
and foreign missionaries other than financial gifts 
and prayer. Has a survey been made of the com- 
munity with reference to alien populations and their 
missionary needs and possibilities? What nationali- 
ties are represented in the community? What re- 
ligious work is being done for them and how 
thoroughly are they being reached? What is the 
church doing in this service, and how many members — 
are thus engaged? What kinds of work are possible 
among those not being reached, and what members 
of the church are qualified for these different lines 
of work? What are various groups or individual 
members doing to assist missionaries in more dis- 
tant fields? What special abilities have members 
which could be put to account in this way? 

These questions will suggest the scope of the sur- 
vey which the pastor needs to make—partly through 
others—of the resources of his church with regard 
to its missionary program. 


The Missionary Study of the Bible 


Doctor Ashmore, of China, used to speak of his 
“missionary Bible,” meaning the Bible as it was 
interpreted to him by his missionary experience. 
He had found that the Bible was throughout a mis-_ 
sionary book, and had a new meaning when under- 
stood in the light of its fundamental missionary 


The Training of the Pastor ol 





message. If the pastor thinks of himself as organ- 
izer and leader of a missionary force, which is work- * 
ing at the same task as the missionary, to estab- 
lish Christ’s world kingdom, then his Bible, like that 
of the missionary, will be a ‘‘ missionary Bible.” 
The Bible is the chief text-book in the pastor’s 
training, as it is his chief source-book for the mes- 
sages and teaching he gives to his people. He should 
be continually studying it from the missionary,, 
point of view. Here we use the term “ mission-_ 
ary ” in its broadest meaning, including evangelism, 
Christian service, and the Christianizing of all non- 
Christian peoples and unchristian human relations. 
Of course, he will not neglect the study of the Bible’s 
teaching as to personal religion, but he must not 
stop with that. The active, aggressive, crusading 
side of Christianity must be to the fore in his de- 
votional study, his sermon preparation, his general 
study.\ He should be seeking in the Bible continually 
new illustrations of the missionary spirit in religion, 
new phases of missionary teaching, and the broader 
aspects of our mission as revealed in God’s Word. 
Pastors, no less than others, are in danger of over- 
looking this side of the Bible’s teaching, especially 
the more definitely missionary teachings. The needs 
of the church and the community press hard upon 
the pastor’s thought and sympathy, and he is liable 
to give these the first consideration, relegating the 
study of the missionary aspects of Christianity to 
second place. But the missionary aspect of our re- 
ligion is always primary— its universality is its 
fundamental and characteristic quality—and the 
reiterated emphasis of repeated study is necessary 


52 Making a Missionary Church 


if a pastor is not to preach a smaller gospel than 
Christ proclaimed and to work for a narrower king- 
dom than the kingdom of Christ’s ambitious pro-— 
gram. Nor is the missionary teaching of the Bible 
confined to the New Testament. In the Psalms, in 
Isaiah and other prophets, and in other books, will 
be found a rich store of suggestion for the pastor’s 
thought and a fund of texts for his missionary 
preaching and teaching. Reference to books like 
those listed at the end of this chapter will be helpful. 


The Changing Missionary Problem 


The pastor who would be efficient and up-to-date 
in his leadership of his church in its world task must - 
be alert to the changing missionary problem. There 
are new forces at work in the social, political, eco- 
nomic, and religious life of the peoples we are at- 
tempting to reach with the gospel, new elements in 
the meaning of the kingdom of God are receiving 
recognition, new relations are opening between de- 
nominations, new methods of work and of adminis- 
tration are being used, and the whole objective of 
the missionary enterprise is different, or at least _ 
differently expressed, from that of former days. Ay 
new missionary apologetic is necessary. A new mis-— 
sionary appeal is possible. The pastor who is un- 
acquainted with these modern phases of the mission- 
ary problem will be confused by many things that 
he hears and reads, and will find difficulty in enter- 
ing heartily and intelligently into the missionary 
plans of his denomination. He is liable to be led 
astray by reactionary men, and his appeals, teach-’ 
ings, and plans will fail to attract and enlist the 


The Training of the Pastor oe 


younger, more progressive and better-educated mem- 
bers of his congregation. To understand missions 
he must understand it in terms of today, not as he 
learned it twenty-five years ago. 


The following are some of the new elements in‘ 


the changing missionary problem to which the live 
pastor will give attention: (1) The new nationalism 
powerfully affecting all life in such countries as 
India, Egypt, China, etc.; (2) the rapidly growing 
industrial life, such as is appearing in India, China 
and elsewhere; (3) the new interest in Christian 
social service which is revealing itself in work at 
home and abroad; (4) the cooperation between de- 
nominations in both the home and the foreign field; 
(5) decentralization in foreign mission administra- 
tion; (6) enlarged emphasis on native leadership; 
(7) development of education among peoples of mis- 
sion lands by schools and universities and by in- 
creased reading and travel; (8) recognition of good 
elements in native religious and social life which are 
helpful in the missionary’s work of building up a 
Christian national life. Just to list these—and 
others might be added—will show the need of study 
by the pastor, of training for his missionary task. 
To most men who have been in the ministry for 
some time these are strange themes. Their very 
words are unfamiliar. They cannot be mastered in 
a few moments, or a few days, but they are all live 
subjects in missions, related directly to the new 
political, social, economic, and religious conditions 


that are affecting all life at home and abroad. And, | 


if a pastor is to speak with a twentieth-century ac- 
cent, and correctly interpret to his people the great 


P. hen 


= 


54 Making a Missionary Church 


missionary enterprise in which he and they are en- 
gaged, he must certainly know that enterprise as 
it is conducted today, not as it was in his childhood, 
The latest books will give him some of the informa- 
tion he needs, but the magazines, especially the In- 
ternational Review of Missions, The Missionary 
Review of the World, and his own denominational 
periodical, together with direct correspondence with 
missionaries and addresses by board secretaries, 
must be looked to for the up-to-date information 
which he needs. Mention should also be made of 
the annual reports of the Foreign Missions Confer- 
ence of North America and the Home Missions Coun- 
cil, which are most illuminating along this line. | 
Some of the latest mission study-books are very help- 
ful, and most boards issue pamphlets dealing with 
some of the subjects referred to. But however and 
wherever he gets his information, he must get it, 
for altogether too many pastors are quite out-of- 
date in their knowledge of missionary problems, and 
his church, and the missionaries who represent him, 
have a right to expect that he will intelligently and 
adequately interpret to his people the world task 
in which they are engaged. 


Learning His Denomination’s Missionary Work 


If a prospective pastor has had the opportunities 
he should have had and has taken advantage of 
them, he should come to his work pretty well in- 
formed about the fields, methods, and missionaries | 
of his denomination. For inadequate as is the mis- » 
Sionary preparation given the student for the pas- 
torate in almost any theological seminary, books and 


The Training of the Pastor D0 


magazines and voluntary mission study-classes are 
available, as well as frequent missionary addresses. 
Yet what a pastor learned in those delightful days 
back in the seminary will not suffice him now. What 
he learned was principally the sources of knowl- 
edge and the lines along which he should direct his 
study. And to know what his denomination is now 
doing he must continually read and study. 

Whatever else he knows in the field of missions, _, 
he must know the missionary work of his own de- “ 
nomination. The missionary plan of his church will 
be built upon that work, and the immediate interest 
of his members will be in the fields and mission- 
aries of their own denomination. (1) First of all, 
the names of missionaries in both the foreign and 
the home fields should be familiav to him. The 
pioneers and later leaders should be like household 
names. And likewise the names of living workers 
should be well known. When any country is men- 
tioned in which his denomination has work, certain 
names should naturally spring into mind. (2) 
These names ought to suggest the particular work 
those leaders did or are doing. They should be more 
than words; they should stand for a whole life-story, 
definite achievements, and specific forms of work. 
In other words, a pastor ought to know what the 
mission boards of his denomination have done and 
are doing. (3) This involves a knowledge of the 
fields of work. Countries that are strange to most 
men should be familiar to him, and the names of 
mission stations should bring up mental pictures 
of those places from the descriptions and illustra- 
tions with which he has made himself familiar. He 


26 Making a Missionary Church 


should be so well acquainted with the principal ones 
that he can describe them to his people. In that 
way he can make the stories from the mission field — 
live and can fill with vivid interest the experiences 
and problems of the missionaries. (4) The pastor 
ought also certainly to be thoroughly familiar with 
the missionary organization of his denomination— 
the mission boards, their relation to the churches, 
the officers, address of the offices, etc. Suggestions 
are given elsewhere on the means of securing and 
maintaining the missionary knowledge a pastor 
should have.? All means available should be used to 
learn and know continually the work of his own 
denomination. 


How the Seminaries Can Help 


In the training of the pastors for missionary 
leadership the theological seminaries could render 
a service of incalculable value. Weare not referring 
here to prospective pastors, but to those already in 
charge of churches. Some are long out of the semi- 
nary, and a very large number were never in semi- 
nary at all. Every pastor, whether poorly trained 
or well trained, would profit by the right kind of 
help from a seminary. To bring to the leaders of 
the churches the best results of the studies of ex- 
perts, with stimulating suggestions for their thought 
and study, and practical help for their missionary 
plans, would increase the value of the seminaries to 
the churches more than a hundredfold. | 

One thing that the missionary department of a~| 
seminary could do is to send out at intervals to +. 

2See Chap. IX, “ Keeping Informed.” | 


The Training of the Pastor o7 


the pastors of the churches of its constituency sug- 
gestions for their missionary reading. What are the 
latest books on India, or China, or the Negro, or 
foreign-speaking Americans? Many pastors do not 
have access to book lists and do not know the most 
recent books. Others receive book lists or see 
books mentioned in denominational periodicals, but 
have to choose and would like to know the best 
books. Moreover, titles do not mean much; to have 
a description and estimate of the best books on 
various fields and various subjects, with the author- 
ity not of the publishers but of an impartial teacher 
and missionary leader, would be welcomed by very 
many pastors. Along with a list of books could go 
references to articles in current magazines bearing’ ‘ 
on missions or on events in the world’s life that have 
a meaning to the kingdom of God. Many such 
articles are not labeled with missionary titles, and 
many events of far-reaching importance to the mis- 
sionary enterprise of the church are not seen in 
that relation by the ordinary reader of the daily 
newspaper; professors of missions can here render 
an important service to pastors by descriptive or 
explanatory notes in a bulletin such as we have de- 
scribed. Some seminaries, it should be noted, are 
doing noteworthy work in publishing book lists 
related to the work of different departments; but 
there is room for a special service along the line of 
missions. 

In this connection a second suggestion may be | 
made: Missionary books could be loaned to the pas- > 
tors, or selected libraries of books could be loaned to 
churches. This is a plan already in operation in 


58 Making a Missionary Church 


connection with some seminaries, and one which is 


greatly appreciated. Most pastors cannot afford | 


to buy many books, but a loan plan would put in 
their hands the best books recommended by the 
seminaries. 


A third way in which seminaries could help the ~ 


pastors is by missionary institutes. Institutes are 
now conducted from time to time by the denomi- 
national boards, and interdenominational institutes 
are held in the summer at certain points, but the 
seminaries play little part in them. Institutes 
fostered directly by the seminary, with no connec- 
tion with the denominational campaign or program 
but for educational purposes only, would be most 
valuable. Lessons could well be learned from the 
methods of the agricultural departments of the 
State colleges and universities, whose extension 
work is so large and valuable a part of their service 
to their constituency. Mission boards ought also to 
make larger use of teachers of missions in the semi- 
naries in institutes, conferences, and public meetings 
arranged by them. 


The Pastor’s Missionary Library 


His library is the principal part of the pastor’s 
working equipment, and no pastor’s library, how- 
ever small, is complete without a section devoted to 
missions. He needs at least a few judiciously 
selected books to furnish him with the information 
and suggestion he continually needs for his sermons, 
addresses, prayers, etc. If his church does not have 


a missionary library he can also make good use of — 


his own in helping members in their part of the 


The Training of the Pastor 59 


church missionary plans. But the primary value 
of his library of missionary books is for himself. 
If he believes in the church’s missionary purpose 
and is endeavoring to build and maintain a mission- 
ary church, he will be continually referring to those 
of his books that deal with missions. They will be 
consulted as frequently as his commentaries, or his 
Bible histories, or his books on Sunday-school work, 
and a great deal oftener than most of his books. 
His missionary library is indispensable. 

What sort of books ought a pastor to have in his 
missionary library? Some kinds are more important 


than others, but the following subjects may be rep-__ . 


resented: Missionary principles, including the mis- © 
sionary interpretation of the Bible; description of 
mission fields and peoples, such as the text-books 
published by the Missionary Education Movement, 
though these should also be supplemented by more 
advanced works; missionary methods, as for ex- 
ample education, medical work, or industrial mis- 
sions; non-Christian religions, at least one good 
work on the history of religion or describing the 
religions of mission fields; missionary biography, 
which should be liberally represented, and here the 
field is wide and the product rich; Christian 
stewardship, on which there are a few good books; 
and the home base of missions, methods and plans 
in the local church, a subject which despite the vig- 
orous attention it is receiving has a literature still 
quite incomplete and fragmentary. Added to the 
above might be one or two reference works like the 
World Atlas of Christian Missions or the Encyclo- 
peedia of Religion and Ethics. One or two mission- 


60 Making a Missionary Church 


ary and travel magazines should be included, for ex- 
ample, one’s denominational missionary periodical, 
the International Review of Missions, The Mission- 
ary Review of the World, the National Geographic 
Magazine, and Asia. The choice of books is almost 
unlimited, and most pastors will be compelled to 
make their missionary library much smaller than 
they would like. A few books to begin with, then 
a few careful purchases each year, will give a practi- 
cal working library for the church’s missionary 
leader. In selecting books for reading and pur- 
chase the Ten Years’ Selected International Mis- — 
sionary Bibliography in the International Review of 
Missions for January, 1922, will be found extremely 
helpful, as also the Selected Bibliography of Mis- 
sionary Literature (Student Volunteer Movement, 
1920). Both need to be supplemented by reviews in 
the International Review of Missions and other mis- 
sionary periodicals. And one’s library needs to be 
continually replenished ; for example, a book on India 
published ten years ago is quite out of date now. 
Buy a few books, but buy the best and buy some 
each year. 


Missions and the Pastor’s Broadening Mental Outlook 


The pastor who does not grow is doomed to failure. 
And among other elements in his growth should be 
a widening of his mental outlook, a broadening of the | 
horizon of his thought. Here missions can help him ‘| 
greatly. No pastor can fail to profit by the contri- 
bution to his thought given by his missionary studies, 
and no pastor can afford to miss this contribution. ° 
The study of other lands and peoples gives a better 


The Training of the Pastor 61 





understanding of human nature, tends to break down 
the prejudices of race and nationality, and helps 
to give that cosmopolitan spirit which a Christian 
leader should have. Biography of representative 
men and women of other races is especially illumi- 
nating and broadening in its concrete introduc- 
tion to their thoughts and attitudes. Studying the 
problems of the missionaries and the native churches ~ 
leads one’s thought out to new conditions and needs, 
and helps one to see the meaning and perhaps the 
solution of one’s own problems. For example, the 
study of cooperative movements in mission fields is \ 
bound to affect the pastor’s attitude toward inter- \ 
denominational relations at home. The very big- 
ness and breadth of the missionary enterprise is 
stimulating to largeness of ideas and broadness of 
thought. If there were no need of a minister’s 
studying missions for its own sake, he needs to study 
the subject continually for his own sake, for the 
broadening mental outlook it will give him. 


Missions and the Pastor’s Deepening Spiritual Life 


Nothing will stimulate the pastor’s spiritual life 
more vigorously than to enter intimately into the 
experiences of the missionaries, home and foreign. 
These experiences are a veritable mine of wealth, 
inexhaustible in their contribution to every one who 
will explore them. Your faith will take a new grip 
as you read the story of Judson waiting seven years 
for his first convert, or the workers of the China 
Inland Mission praying for a hundred recruits and 
then holding a praise service to thank God for the 
answer they were sure he would give. Your loyalty 


62 Making a Missionary Church 


will burn with rekindled fire after you become ac- 
quainted with some of the splendid young men and 
women who are offering themselves for missionary 
service and read the story of their triumph over 
selfish ambitions and the call of home. Your 
love will glow with more Christlike unselfishness in- 
spired by the loving minisele of missionaries in 
hospital and home. Your zeal will fire you with new 
ambitions for the kingdom when you read of Henry 
Martyn or David Livingstone or Raymund Lull. The 
story of the advancing kingdom and the biographies 
of missionaries in all lands and all forms of the 
Christian faith are a'choice possession of the church. , 
The pastor’s daily devotional life will be richly re- \_ 
warded by such reading, and his library should be 
receiving additions constantly of books dealing with 
the achievements of missions and the life and charac- 
ter of missionaries. Thus he will be receiving that 
training of heart which above all others will fit him 
for his great missionary task. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


J. R. Mott, “ The Pastor and Modern Missions.” 
Student Volunteer Movement. 50 cents. 

G. A. Miller, “ Missionary Morale.” Methodist Book 
Con. $1.00. 


SEE PAGE 46 


A. Current Missionary History 


E. C. Moore, “ The Spread of Christianity in the © 
Modern World.”’ Chicago University Press. $2.25. 


The Training of the Pastor 63 





“The International Review of Missions” (quar- 
terly). New York. $2.50. 

“The Missionary Review of the World ” (monthly). 
New York. $2.50. 

“The Moslem World.” New York. $1.25. 

C. H. Robinson, ‘‘ History of Christian Missions.” 
Charles Scribner’s Sons. $3.50. 


B. Missionary Teaching of the Bible 


W. O. Carver, “ The Bible a Missionary Message.” 
F. H. Revell Co. $1.50. 

H. B. Montgomery, ‘‘ The Bible and Missions.”’ Cent. 
Committee. 40 and 60 cents. 

D. J. Fleming, “‘ Marks of a World Christian.” Asgsso- 
ciation Press. $1.15. 

R. F. Horton, “ The Bible a Missionary Book.” Pil- 
grim Press. $1.00. 


C. Conditions in Mission Fields 


W. H. P. Faunce, “ Social Aspects of Foreign Mis- 
sions.” Missionary Education Movement. 40 and 
60 cents. 

D. J. Fleming, “ Building with India.” Missionary 
Education Movement.” 50 and 75 cents. 

G. M. Fisher, ‘‘ Creative Forces in Japan.” Mis- 
sionary Education Movement. 50 and 75 cents. 

C. H. Patton, ‘‘ World Facts and America’s Respon- 
sibility.” Association Press. $1.00. 

P.S. Reinsch, “‘ Intellectual and Political Currents in 
the Far East.” Houghton Mifflin Publishing Co. 
$3.00. 

D. J. Fleming, “ Contacts with Non-Christian Cul- 
tures.” Student Volunteer Movement. $1.25. 


64 Making a Missionary Church 


R. W. Babson, “ New Tasks for Old Churches.” 
F. H. Revell Co. $1.00. 

S. G. Inman, “‘ Problems of Dar Airamearnarnid As- 
sociation Press. $2.00. 

K. L. Butterfield, “The Country Church and the 
Rural Problem.” University of Chicago Press. 
$1.25. ; 

H. O. Belknap, “‘ The Church on the Changing Fron- 
tier.” George H. Doran Co. $2.50. | 

G. E. E. Lindquist, “The Red Man in the United 
States.” George H. Doran Co. $3.50. 

G. E. Haynes, ‘‘ The Trend of the Races.” Mission- 
ary Education Movement. 50 and 75 cents. 

J. 5. Stowell, “ A Study of Mexicans and Spanish- 
Americans in the United States.” Home Missions 
Council. Paper, 50 cents. 


D. Non-Christian Religions 


EK. D. Soper, ‘‘ The Religions of Mankind.” Metho- 
dist Book Con. $3.00. 

G. A. Barton, “The Religions of the World.” 
University of Chicago Press. $2.25. 

Sidney Cave, “ An Introduction to the Study of Some 
Living Religions of the East.”’ Charles Scribner’s 
Sons. $1.75. 

Mrs. C. A. F. Rhys Davids, “ Buddhism, a Study of 
the Buddhist Norm.” Henry Holt Publishing Co. 
90 cents. 

J. N. Farquhar, “ A Primer of Hinduism.” Oxford 
University Press. $1.20. 

J. M. DeGroot, “‘ The Religion of the Chinese.” Mac- | 
millan Co. $1.25. 


The Training of the Pastor 65 


D. S. Margoliouth, ‘‘ Mohammedanism.” Putnam 
Publishing Co. $2.50. 

W. G. Aston, “Shinto (the Way of the Gods).” 
Longman Green Co. $2.20. 

K. J. Saunders, “ Buddhism in the Modern World.” 
Oxford University Press. $1.50. 


E. Modern Missionary Problems 


“The Missionary Outlook in the Light of the War.” 
Association Press. $2.25. 

“The International Review of Missions” (quar- 
terly). New York. $2.50. 

A. E. Garvie, “The Missionary Obligation in the 
Light of the Changes in Modern Thought.” 
George H. Doran Co. 75 cents. 

R. E. Speer, ‘The Gospel and the New World.” 
F. H. Revell Co. $2.00. 

H. P. Douglass, ‘‘ The New Home Missions.”’ Asso- 
ciation Press. 60 cents. 


IV 
THE TRAINING OF CHURCH OFFICERS 


Success Depends on Church Leaders 


A pastor must have the hearty cooperation of the 
officers of his church in every program which he ex- 
pects to succeed. He will not think of undertaking\ ’ 
an evangelistic campaign without the hearty back- 
ing of his official board. If he is forming plans for 
the reorganization of the church school, he will make 
sure of their understanding and support. Full 
success cannot be expected without the cooperation 
of his church leaders. This is equally true with re- 
gard to the missionary plans of the church. The 
men and women making up the official board and 
occupying other official positions are in general 
chosen because of their ability and good judgment, 
and have an influence commensurate with their posi- 
tions. They can help mightily in making the church 
a strong force for the kingdom of God throughout 
the whole world, or by opposition or even indiffer- 
ence they can thwart the aggressive missionary pro- 
gram of the pastor and make the church provincial 
in its outlook and narrow in its effort. Every pastor 
should remember this: the support of the church 
officers is essential to success. 


Their Knowledge and Interest Cannot Be Assumed 


More’s the pity! But it is a fact. There are © 
plenty of men and women who are leaders of the 
66 


The Training of Church Officers 67 


church, who do not know whither they are leading \~ 
it, or what leadership in a church means. They are 
sincere enough and have plenty of earnestness, but 
their zeal is not according to knowledge. They have 
never been trained. They have not given thought 
to the question of the real objective and mission of 
the church. They see in general the need in the 
community for the message and service of the 
church, and sense the varied opportunities among 
the people close at hand, but they have not had their 
attention directed to the larger world in which they 
and the church live. They have not looked out into 
the great world lying beyond, and realized its sin 
and ignorance and superstition and degradation and 
sorrow. A church leader, whatever his office, ought 
first of all to know the grand world mission of his 
church. Then he can properly relate his own par- 
ticular work to the church’s great objective and pur- 
pose. 


The First Work of the Pastor Is to Train His Church 
Officers 


So the first thing for a pastor to do who wants 
to see his church fulfilling its mission to the world 
is to train the officers of the church. He can be 
training the members at the same time, but at any 
rate he must be training his officers. No amount of 
missionary enthusiasm in the pulpit or prayer- 
meeting, no energy in the collection of funds, can 
take the place of carefully planned, tactful, per- 
sistent instruction of his associates in the leader- 
ship of the church. Such enthusiasm and energy 
may even arouse opposition on the part of some of 


63 Making a Missionary Church 


the leaders, who only need some instruction and 
training to become eager supporters of the pastor’s 
missionary plans. To train the deacons or trustees — 
or elders or stewards may not be the easiest task 
and may not promise so much satisfaction and 
pleasure as some other parts of his program, but it 
is the most rewarding, and may prove to be quite as 
delightful as anything he undertakes. At any rate, 
let him boldly set himself to the task, for the officers 
of the church are the crux of the whole problem, 
and the first step—and the second and the third and 
the last, for he will need to keep it up—is to train © 
them in missions and in their missionary task and 
that of the church. 


Missionary Interest an Important Qualification for 
Leadership ; 


A leader in the work of the church ought to be 
broad-minded, with a wide-ranging interest and a 
knowledge of people outside his own class and coun- 
try. He ought to be unselfish, seeking for the 
highest good of others to the last man his help can 
reach. He should be aggressive, eager to make the 
kingdom of God a reality. He ought to be a man 
of faith, believing in God’s purpose for the world 
and fearing no obstacle to the progress of Christ’s 
rule. He ought to be loving, sympathizing with 
men’s needs everywhere and longing to have all men 
know his own loving Father. 

All these qualities are exemplified in one who has 
the missionary spirit of Christ. In fact they are 
the expression of missionary interest. In other‘ 
words, missionary interest is a qualification for ~ 


The Training of Church Officers 69 


leadership in the church. Are leaders chosen with 
this in mind? To ask the question is to answer it. 
But if those who have a right to occupy such posi- 
tions of trust will study their work as leaders in 
the church, and the special task that is theirs, they 
will be likely to be convinced that they should know 
the missionary work of the church in its many varied 
relations. / The pastor can do a good deal to gather 
around him men and women who will enter sym- 
pathetically and energetically into his mission- 
ary plans by preaching occasionally on the quali- 
ties that a church leader should have, and especially 
by pointing these out to the church before selection 
is made of any who are to hold official position. 
Then those with missionary outlook will be chosen. 
At least those who are chosen will be more readily 
persuaded to train themselves to lead in the far- 
ranging missionary task of their church. 


What Trained Officers Can Do 


This is a subject that might be enlarged upon with 
reference to the whole. work of the church. But 
here we confine it to what officers who are trained 
in missionary principles, knowledge, and practise 
can do in forwarding the unified missionary plan of 
the church. A church leader who has been trained, , 
in missions can help greatly in making the mission-/* 
ary plan itself. He knows the church and its mem- 
bers and resources better, in some ways, than the 
pastor. He can look at the problem from a different 
angle, and bring his own experience and reading to 
bear upon the problem of laying out the church’s 
world plan. This he will do only if he knows some- 


70 Making a Missionary Church 





thing of missions and can think in terms of the 

world kingdom. Then too, he can lead off in carry-— 
ing out some of the important details of the plan,\ 
such as missionary education, the development of 
prayer, or the stimulating of giving. And in local 
community missionary work he can take his part, 
he will help to secure recruits from the young 
people of the church, and will be a tower of strength 
behind the pastor as he leads the people forward 
in their great task. No one can help the pastor so 
much in the missionary work of the church as a 
trained officer—trained to see things from the view- 
point of Christ’s world kingdom. 


Missions in the Official Board Meetings 


The best opportunity for training the members of 
the church board is in their regular meetings. There \ 
will be no objection there to almost anything the - 
pastor may say, and what he does in that meeting 
will seem almost a matter of course; while it may 
be more difficult outside to carry through plans for 
the missionary training of his leaders. If a pastor 
has continually in the back of his mind the great 
missionary purpose of the church and realizes the 
importance of church officers who have a zealous 
missionary spirit, he will not find it difficult to bring 
the subject frequently into the meetings of the, 
board. Only he must be tactful. All that he says \ 
and does must be so planned as to disarm criticism 
and dispel prejudice. Again and again, let it be 
said, Tact is absolutely necessary. The whole cam- 
paign to win the church to-ageressive missionary 
endeavor may be won or lost with the deacons or 


The Training of Church Officers 71 


elders or trustees. The pastor must move wisely 
in the effort to win their support and to train them 
as missionary leaders. But the fear that he may 
antagonize some conservative, uninformed man must 
not keep him from a vigorous, thorough effort. More 
men fail by lack of effort than by misdirected ef- 
fort. Most pastors are too timid. The officers of 
the church will respond favorably to the pastor’s 
appeal nine times out of ten—or ninety-nine out of 
a hundred. 


Missions in the Board’s Devotional Service 


The easiest place to bring in missions, and the 
most natural, is the brief devotional service with \ 


which every meeting of the board may be expected ” 


to open. The Scripture may be some great mission- 
ary passage like Isaiah 43 : 1-18; Isaiah 60; Micah 
4: 1-5; Matthew 28: 16-20; Luke 10: 25-37; 
John 3: 16-21 (note the universals ‘“ world,” 
‘‘ whosoever,” ‘‘ every one”) ; John 12 : 20-36; Acts 
1: 1-8; Acts 11°: 1-18; Romans 1; Revelation 2: 
12-17; Revelation 3 : 7-18; Revelation 5: 1-9, and 
many others. A word of comment will turn the 
thought in the desired direction. Here is a good 
chance to make it clear that the Bible is a mis- 
sionary volume, that at least twenty-one of the 
twenty-seven books of the New Testament are mis- 
sionary books, and that even the Old Testament is 
full of missionary teaching. 

Prayer, too, gives a fine opportunity to turn the 
thoughts toward the non-Christian parts of the 
world. This should have good preparation, and 
special reference should be made to countries or 


12 Making a Missionary Church 


events fresh in public thought that have an evident 
relation to God’s redemptive plan for the world. It | 
will be a good idea, perhaps, to call on members of 
the board to pray, suggesting special objects of a 
missionary character at home and abroad. By all 
means let the pastor remember that the missionary 
appeal is a spiritual one first of all, and let him 
emphasize the subject in the devotional part of the 
board meeting. 


Discuss the Missionary Plan of the Church 
The pastor should discuss with the church board 


the missionary plan of the church, not only when 


making up that plan, as suggested in Chapter II, 
but at frequent intervals throughout the year. Do 
not leave it entirely to the woman’s society, or the 
missionary committee. The church board is re- 
sponsible for all the work of the church, mission- 
ary as well as evangelistic. The members of the 
board will appreciate the recognition of their re- 
sponsibility and will be likely to give serious atten- 
tion to the subject when it is presented. Let the 
pastor ask their advice on various details. Appeal 
to their knowledge of missions. In some cases 
there will be little knowledge, but the pastor can 
assume that the members are informed, and they 
will be quick to see how little they reaily do know. 
A tactful suggestion by the pastor regarding the 
importance of the church’s leaders being well 
trained in what is its greatest task, will have good 


effect. And the pastor in discussing the missionary | 
work of the church can manage to give a good deal 


of information to the members of the board. 


The Training of Church Officers 73 


Have Special Missionary Study 


Meetings of the church board might frequently 
be made more profitable to its members than is 
generally the case, with corresponding profit to the 
church. There are generally many matters to be 
discussed relating to the church’s work, and the 
time often seems all too short. Buta half hour spent 
in study or discussion of some great theme or some 
portion of the kingdom will be a great and often 
much-needed education for the members of the 
board and will give new interest to the meetings. 
Among these. subjects none is more important or 
more capable of being made thoroughly interesting \y 
than missions. It will have the attraction of nov- 
elty to many, it is full of human interest, and if 
rightly handled, it will be fresh and invigorating 
in its expansiveness and bigness. Care must be 
taken, of course, not to make the interest of the 
meetings one-sided or to have the pastor appear 
to be a man of one idea, only see that missions is 
given its full place. A point of contact might be- 


found in a foreign population in the community, 


or a mission field where a member of the church is 
living or has lived. The visit of a missionary past 
or prospective can be made the occasion for a study 
of his field of work. The home and foreign mis- 
sion subjects which are studied each year by 
churches of practically all denominations will sug- 
gest the importance of the church leaders being 
well informed on the countries or topics suggested, 
as the woman’s circle or the young people’s society 
or the Sunday school or some other department of 


74 Making a Missionary Church 





the church will perhaps include these in their pro- 
gram for the year; or at any rate denominational | 
loyalty will give reason enough for some serious 
consideration of subjects that are a part of the de- 
nomination’s program. Events in the world’s life 
that are closely connected with missionary activity, 
like our relations with Mexico or Japan or Cuba, or 
like the Smyrna outrage of 1922, give ample oppor- 
tunity to point out the achievements, problems, and 
opportunities for the kingdom in those parts of the 
world. The material for missionary study in the 
meetings of the church board is almost unlimited, 
and a pastor who is awake to his opportunity and 
to the vital importance of the church’s having well- — 
informed leaders need not lack for SAY and 
help. 


A Special Class for Officers 


A plan which has been used ELE is to 
have a class or discussion group composed of the ., 
officers of the church to study missions. The author 
had such a class in one church which proved of keen 
interest. The members frankly confessed their gen- 
eral ignorance of the subject, and went into the 
study of Arthur J. Brown’s book ‘‘ The Why and 
How of Foreign Missions ” with the greatest avidity 
and earnestness. Discussion was live, and the leader 
was kept on his mettle in answering questions. The 
pastor ought to conduct the class, and the number 
of sessions be limited to six or eight. A book such 
as the one mentioned, or others similar, may be. 
studied, or a series of general themes taken up. A 
fascinating course could be had on “ Missions in the 


The Training of Church Officers 75 


Newspapers,” considering the daily news in its re- 
lation to the world kingdom of Jesus. Such a class 
is exceedingly profitable, even though the member- 
ship may be small. Attendance need not be limited 
to members of the official church board, but should 
include the superintendent and other officers of the 
Bible school, the clerk, treasurer, financial secre- 
tary, and others in official position in the church. 
But make the class strictly an officers’ class, and 
the element of exclusiveness will appeal. Treat the 
subject from the point of view of the officers as 
leaders in the work of Christ’s kingdom, and en- 
courage plenty of discussion. The time of meeting 
will be determined by local conditions. Introduc- 
ing the social element will help in many cases, for 
example, holding the sessions at the home of the 
pastor or of one of the board members, with per- 
haps light refreshments. The results accruing 
from such a class (or call it a discussion group if 
that is likely to bring better results) are likely to 
be so great that the time and effort required to 
organize and conduct it are well worth while. 


Using Literature 


The chapter on “ Keeping Informed” suggests 
many ways of using printed matter effectively in 
developing a missionary church. Missionary litera- . 
ture ought not to be left to the woman’s society, as 
so often is done, but be used to the fullest extent by 
the pastor. And most valuable is its use in train- 
ing the officers in missionary leadership. Take, for 
example, the wide range of descriptive folders and 
booklets, many of them most attractive in form 


76 Making a Missionary Church 





and well illustrated, put forth by the various de- 
denominations. In most denominations there are 
so many titles that a selection must be made to — 
meet local needs and conditions. Having selected 
what he thinks most effective for use in his church, 
he should place the most important of these in 
the hands of his officers. This he will need to do’ 
personally, with a word of explanation regarding 
the various folders, and perhaps an enthusiastic de- 
scription, in part, of one or two, leaving enough 
untold to whet the appetite for the rest. It is cer- 
tainly of the utmost importance that the church’s 
officers be thoroughly informed on the denomina- 
tional missionary program, and the least they can 
do along this line—and by no means the least im- 
portant—is to read some of the pamphlets describ- 
ing the year’s plans. Besides the literature dealing 
with the immediate program, there is a wealth 
of folders, pamphlets, and booklets describing the 
mission fields and work of the denomination. Some 
of these are best suited to use by the women, some 
by the Sunday school, but some will prove valuable 
to the officers of the church. If the official board 
devotes a period to missionary discussion or there 
is an officers’ discussion group or class, the litera- 
ture selected from this general group should be 
related to the topics considered ; or the general home 
and foreign mission subjects for the year may sug- 
gest what is to be used. The pastor should go back 
of these topics, however, and see that in the hands 
of his officers is placed such literature as will lay 
a foundation concerning missionary principles, the ° 
pioneers of missions, and the location and charac- 


The Training of Church Officers 717 


teristics of the mission fields of the denomination. 
Books may be used in this connection, and the mis- 
sionary magazine should be read. But the pastor 
will of course, proceed tactfully and judiciously. 
The chapter on “ Keeping Informed” will give 
further suggestions. 


Enlisting the Officers in Missionary Activity 


Knowing without doing is worse than useless. 
Impression without expression is dangerous. It is 
important, as pointed out, to train and inform the 
officers of the church in missions in order to give 
strong backing and support to the pastor in carry- 
ing out a worthy missionary plan in the church. 
But to secure permanence of interest the officers \ 
must be enlisted in missionary activity themselves. ’ 
As leaders in the church, their influence upon others 
will be an important factor in securing a general 
participation in missionary service if they them- 
selves are engaged in definite work for the cause. 
And a further consideration is the special fitness 
for missionary leadership which some of the offi- 
cers—though not all—have as a result of their 
training and experience. In choosing members for 
special places of leadership and responsibility, in 
Missions as in evangelism or education, those best 
fitted should be selected, regardless of official posi- 
tion. Too often a member is put in a position of 
leadership simply because he or she is a good talker 
and in this, or some other way, becomes prominent, 
though no qualifications whatever exist for the work 
suggested. It must be remembered, too, that one 
may be well qualified for one position and not at 


78 Making a Missionary Church 


all qualified for another. So the fact that one is 


an officer of the church or of one of its depart- - 


ments is not a proof that one is fitted for special 
leadership in the great missionary plans of the 
church. But the training which we have suggested 
that the church officers should have, coupled with 
the influence their position gives, should make the 
service of some of them of special effectiveness. 
And particularly is it important that many of the 
officers should be enlisted in definite missionary 
work, in order to give a strong push to the mis- 
sionary plans which they have recommended to 
the church. Hardly anything will give greater im- 
petus to these plans or assure more interest on the 


part of the church than for the official leaders to. 


take a prominent place in carrying out the plans. 
What the officers and members of official boards 


can do depends of course on individual -qualifica- | 
tions, and the pastor needs to take the leadership in | 


Soxpepitbors 


seeing that the right selections are made. Among | 


lines of work in which the church officers may share | 


are the following: The church missionary committee, 
as members or as chairman; the missionary com- 
mittee of the Bible School; secretary of missionary 
_ literature; leader of study class or discussion group; 
missionary superintendent in the Bible School; 
church benevolence treasurer; local missionary 
work; missionary correspondent; and many others. 


Training of Officers Must Be Continuous 


Here we emphasize a most important thing in — 


the training of the church’s leaders in missions: it 
must not be given once only, or be intermittent, 


The Training of Church Officers 19 


but must be continuous. New members will ap- 
pear on the official board from time to time, and 
these will need instruction and training. Sugges- 
tions and training need repetition; once is not 
enough. Moreover, everything cannot be learned 
in a few weeks. As the pastor should be contin- 
ually studying the principles, methods, and achieve- 
ments of missions, so likewise his associates need 
continually to be enlarging their knowledge, stimu- 
lating their interest, and learning methods of mis- 
sionary work. There is more in the Bible than can 
be discovered in a lifetime of study, and there is 
more in the great missionary enterprise of the 
church than can be learned in the longest term of 
an officer’s service. Variety in method must be 
followed by the pastor, new approaches of interest 
must be found, and tactfulness must be an unvarying 
characteristic; but he must be persistent and pa- 
tient, and remember that the full success of his 
missionary plans and of the world-wide endeavor 
of the church depend in very large measure upon the 
attitude, knowledge, and skill of his official asso- 
ciates. No effort is too great to secure for the 
church a corps of well-trained officers and leaders. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


F. A. Agar, “ Church Officers.” F. H. Revell Co. 
75 cents. 

F. A. Agar, “ The Deacon at Work.” The Ameri- 
can Baptist Publication Society. $1.00. 


V 
THE TRAINING OF PARENTS 


What Have Parents to Do with Missionary Education? 


We have grown so accustomed to leaving the 
education of children to the public school and the 
Bible school that we have pretty nearly forgotten 
the relation of parents to the problem. As a mat- 
ter of fact, even a child’s secular education depends 
a good deal on the encouragement or coaching given 
by the parents. And religious education offers op- 
portunities for home training that are not at all 
possible in the Bible school. So, too, missionary | 
education cannot be given entirely in the Bible ) 
school or other departments of the church, but de-/ 
pends largely on the home. 

The general attitude of the parents affects the 
interest of the children in missions. If the latter 
hear father or mother say, ‘‘I don’t believe in mis- 
sions,” they naturally discount what they hear on 
the subject in church. If they never see a missionary 
magazine or book at home, it is hard to get them 
interested in such reading. If the parents give 
nothing to missions the children are likely to know 
it and to grow up with selfish ideas on the use of | 


money. The children’s attitude toward the world S 


and the kingdom of Christ will, ten chances to 
one, be the attitude of father and mother. 

On the other hand, parents have an unequaled * 
opportunity to instruct and influence their children 
80 , 


The Training of Parents 81 





so. that they will take a kingdom view of things and 
relate their lives unselfishly to the world. The books 
given to the children, the talk around the table, 
the division of the church offerings, the attending 
of missionary meetings, correspondence with mis- 
sionaries—these and other things give almost un- 
limited opportunity to turn the children’s thoughts 
toward the great needy world and to set the current 
of their lives in the direction of unselfish mission- 
ary service for their fellows everywhere. Some of 
the ways in which the home can help in the mis- 
sionary plan of the church are suggested in this 
chapter. 


How the Church Is Responsible 


Parents have a great opportunity to give their 
children a world outlook. But the church is re- . 
sponsible for giving the parents themselves such | 
a world outlook. And when you pause to consider 
what an opportunity parents have, and how funda- 
mental in importance is the home and its attitude, 
you begin to realize what a responsibility the church 
has to see that every home is pervaded by the mis- 
sionary spirit and that every parent is well-in- 
formed on the facts of missions. Every church 
has a tendency to limit its plans and activities to 
what goes on in the church building—the public 
meetings of the church and its various departments 
and organizations. As a matter of fact it should in- | 
clude in its outreach all the relationships of all. 
its members. This certainly takes in the homes. 
Every pastor ought to consider the homes of the 
church in all his missionary plans. The official 


82 Making a Missionary Church 


board—deacons, elders, stewards, etc.—should fre- 
quently review the conditions in the homes as re- | 
lated to the missionary objective of the church. 
The Bible school ought to have a curriculum broad 
enough to provide instruction for parents in the 
training of their children in the whole purpose and 
plan of Christianity. And organizations like the 
women’s society and the men’s brotherhood have a 
special opportunity for considering at first-hand the 
problems and privileges of mothers and fathers. In 
building a missionary church the full and adequate 
training of parents for their task of missionary 
leadership of the children must not be overlooked. 


The Message of the Pulpit to Parents 


This subject is considered more especially in the 
next chapter, but a few words are in place here. 
Most of a minister’s preaching is directed to grown- 
ups, the majority of whom perhaps are parents. 
Instead of preaching so exclusively on personal re- 
ligion, why not take advantage of the presence of. 
the parents and suggest to them their opportunities | 
and responsibilities as leaders of their children in 
the great world program of the church. In the 
pulpit the preacher speaks with authority, and is 
listened to with sympathetic attention, and he 
should not let this chance pass to hold before the 
fathers and mothers of his congregation their high 
privilege and unique opportunity. He can point 
out what the Bible teaches about the limitless appli- 
cation of the gospel, the missionary objective of, 
the church, the critical importance of childhood 
and adolescence, and the accountability of parents, 


The Training of Parents 83 


and he can make practical suggestions for applying 
these principles in the home. By all means let no 
minister neglect to speak a missionary message to 
the parents from his pulpit and do his utmost there 
to lay a foundation for their training in the great 
cause for which supremely the church exists. 


The Pastor’s Message in the Home 


In his visits to the homes of his people, the pastor 
has the opportunity of enforcing and applying the 
teachings he has presented in his sermons on Sun- 
day. He can turn the conversation in almost any 
direction—why not toward missions and the re- | 
lation of father and mother to this greatest work 
of the church? To do this he must himself be well 
informed on the missionaries and missionary facts. 
A reference can easily be brought in to some inci- 
dent or some missionary, and a story well told 
will stick in the minds of his hearers. This may 
readily open the way for a few words about the 
church’s world mission and some suggestions for 
practical work. An attractive folder or pamphlet 
bearing on some phase of the world situation or 
relating to some part of the denominational pro- 
gram can be carried in the pocket and used effec- 
tively. And both young and old will be interested 
to read a good missionary book if well described 
and recommended by the pastor. The personal 
word of the minister in his visits to the homes of 
his people or in his conversations with his mem- 
bers on the street or elsewhere are likely to go 
farther than anything he says to the whole con- 
gregation from the pulpit. Here he has an oppor- 


84 Making a Missionary Church 





tunity not to be lost. He does not need to preach 
to those whom he visits, but he can make every — 
parish call count in the education and training of 
those in the home, and especially the parents. Suit- 
ing the method to the need, he can greatly reen- 
force and extend the influence of his public teach- 
ing on the subject of missions. 7 


The Bible School, the Brotherhood and the Women’s 
Society | 


Not to duplicate here what is said in other chap- 
ters, we must not fail to mention the relation of 
some of the organizations in the church to this 
question of how parents can be trained for their 
part in the missionary program. The particular 
needs and duties of parents are largely overlooked 
in the Bible-school curriculum. Children of various. 
grades, and adults, have lessons suited to them, but 
a school that provides for all in an adequate way — 
will give some well-planned religious and mission- 
ary training to parents. A good many are sure to 
be in the school, in Bible class or women’s class or 
men’s brotherhood, and somewhere in the course 
of study a place should be found for this subject. 

The women’s society or the mission circle has a 
specially good opportunity to reach the mothers. 
Occasional interesting addresses on the missionary 
privilege of a mother, distribution of well-selected 
literature, discussion of practical plans for mission- 
ary training in the home, will bring to the mothers 
what most of them will welcome as a help in making . 
their homes centers of world influence for Christ. 

1 See Chapters VII and XV. 


The Training of Parents 85 


Fathers, too, should not be forgotten. They should 
be shown their opportunity to train the boys at 
home to look at the world’s news from the point of 
view of Christ’s kingdom, and to think of Chris- 
tianity in big terms. 


Using Literature 


Printed matter has a large part to play in the 
missionary training of parents. Most people do not. 
have much time to read, but most people have more 
time to read than they realize. And a well-printed, 
attractive booklet or an interesting book will secure 
a reading in the busiest home. Here is an oppor- 
tunity for the pastor or the missionary committee 
or the literature committee, or the secretary of 
literature. If the denomination has a reading 
course, a good many parents can be enrolled; or a 
special reading course can be made up. A timely 
folder or pamphlet sent through the mail will re- 
ceive attention, especially if it tells of child life and 
gives suggestions for interesting the children. The 
denomination’s missionary magazine should be in- 
troduced into the home. Its very presence on the 
table will have an influence, but special plans may 
be needed on the part of the missionary committee 
or literature secretary to interest the parents to 
read the magazine. Some of these plans are sug- 
gested in the chapter on Keeping Informed. 


Books for the Children 


Parents, as such, are related to the missionary 
enterprise and to the missionary plans of the church 
through what they do to implant and develop mis- 


86 Making a Missionary Church 


sionary interest in their children. So an important 
element in their missionary training is becoming 
acquainted with the materials for creating that in- 
terest. One of the most important of these is books. 
Most children love to read, and most young peo- 
ple are omnivorous readers. It is not a question 
of getting them to read, but of getting them to read 
the books most worth while. Some of the great 
library of fascinating books that will awaken in- 
terest in the people of other lands, and in those who 
have gone to those lands to tell about God, should 
by all means be brought to the attention of the 
parents in the church. There are life-stories of mis- 
sionaries, stories of life in mission lands, tales of 
missionary adventure and romance, and fine stories 
of boys and girls and men and women of other 
nationalities. Of course, there is a right and a 
wrong way of trying to get missionary books read 
by children and young people. You can loan a book 
to your boy, tell him it is a missionary book, and 
say that he ought to read it. Ten chances to one he 
won't. Or you can make him a gift of the book, 
mention with enthusiasm one or two interesting 
incidents from it, and leave him with his appetite 
whetted, eager to read his new book. Choose books 
suited to the ages of the children. And to the older 
ones give books attractively bound, as good as the 
best they have. Most of them are low in price, 
and there are few parents who cannot afford to 
make such a gift once in a while. The influence of 
a good book is incalculable, and one book such as. 
has been mentioned may give a boy or girl a life- | 
long interest in those of other lands or other races 


The Training of Parents 87 


and an understanding of the world meaning of 
Christ’s teachings and promises. There are books 
not labeled “ missionary,’ but brimful of mission- 
ary facts and missionary spirit, which are as fas- 
cinating as any that are written. Parents have 
not learned all they should know as those responsi- 
ble for the Christian life and spirit of their children 
who are not acquainted with many of these. 


Games and Puzzles 


All children like games and most enjoy puzzles. 
A new game always is received with exciting in- 
terest. Why not occasionally introduce a Chinese 
game like ‘‘ Skin the Snake,” or “ Cow’s Tail,” or 
others such as are described in “The Chinese Boy 
and Girl ” by I. T. Headland, and ‘‘ Children at Play 
in Many Lands ” by Katherine Stanley Hall? Games 
about missions and missionaries may sometimes be 
suggested, like those Margaret Applegarth tells 
about in “ The School of Mother’s Knee.” And puz- 
zles are to be found in the missionary magazines and 
elsewhere. Ingenious parents who are well-in- 
formed missionary-wise can invent other games and 
puzzles. 


Pictures 


There are plenty of missionary pictures, but not 
very many that are suitable for the walls of a 
home. There are some, however. Fine portraits 
can be secured of a few great missionaries, such 
as Livingstone, Judson, and others. An occasional 
snap-shot can be had from a missionary or a 
traveler which is good enough and _ interesting 


88 Making a Missionary Church 





enough to justify enlarging. Mission boards could 
help greatly by making pictures available for this - 
purpose. But scenes from foreign lands—not 
strictly missionary—can be secured easily. Many 
of these are works of art. And seeing these upon 
the wall makes a continual impression upon all in 
the home, parents and children, which cannot fail 
to awaken a broadening interest in those who live 
in other parts of the world and make the teaching 
of missions easy. 


Good-night Talks 


Happy is the child who can look forward through 
the day to a few minutes with mother or father at — 
bedtime. Here is the chance for good-night talks. 
A good story is a fine way to close the day. And 
you can make Sunday afternoon the choice time 
of the week by having an extra good story to tell 
the children. There are plenty of stories to be 
told of a Japanese boy or a Chinese girl or some 
boy who has come from Russia or Italy to find a 
new home in the Promised Land of America. You 
will have no difficulty in finding stories. Books 
and magazines are full of them. It is worth while 
for parents to read a good book on story-telling, 
such as “ How to Tell Stories to Children ” by Sara 
Cone Bryant. No parent who wants her children 
to be missionary in spirit—to have Christ’s world 
interest and love—can afford to neglect the oppor- 
tunities to tell missionary stories to children. She 
should have one or two ready all the time. There, 
is nothing equal to this for interesting the younger 
children in missions. Simple dramatizations of 


The Training of Parents 89 


missionary stories can help to make a rainy day 
bright or give Sunday afternoon a special interest. 
This is not difficult. The children can do it them- 
selves with a little coaching if the story is vividly 
told. 


Letters to Missionaries 


As the children grow older they can write to some 
missionary, and if the right one is selected a very 
fruitful correspondence and acquaintance will re- 
sult. Some missionaries make a point of carrying 
on a very wide correspondence with boys and girls 
—not long letters, of course, but interesting ones, 
that are eagerly cherished by their recipients. 
Such missionaries can be found in all denominations, 
and a little inquiry will bring the right name. The 
letters from the missionary will prove quite as 
interesting to parents as to the children, and the 
writing of the letters by the children will give them 
a keen interest in those to whom they write, their 
life and work. 


Family Devotions 


Fortunate is the family that finds time—or makes 
time—for family worship. The influence of the 
brief home service is far greater than many imagine, 
especially on the children. Where such a devotional 
service is held the prayer should always take the 
world into its sweep. Mention the missionaries, 
sometimes by name. Remember the boys and girls 
of those lands. Pray for those in heathen countries 
and in our own who do not know Christ. Read 
outstanding missionary passages from the Bible. 


90 Making a Missionary Church 





A pastor who preaches on family devotions should 
not fail to lay emphasis on the missionary possibili- 
ties of the brief religious service in the home. 
Participation and leadership in such a fellowship 
service is a part of the missionary training of 
parents. This is the active side of such training. 


Growing with the Children 


The church should encourage parents to grow 
with their children. If fathers and mothers can 
lead their children into a large view of the king- 
dom, it is just as much to be expected that some 
children can teach their parents something about 
the broader world in which they live. In their 
studies and their reading they may become familiar 
with peoples who are known to their parents only 
by name. And as they read and study they will 
grow in knowledge of the world and tend to catch 
something of the international spirit which is at the 
heart of missions. The Bible school, too, is likely 
to give the children and young people missionary 
teaching which their elders have not had, for mis- 
sions is coming to have a larger place in the curri- 
culum, and the beginnings are naturally in the 
lower grades and departments. Pastors, officers, 
and teachers should plan to take advantage of this 
potential missionary interest in the younger mem- 
bers of a family to open the eyes of the fathers 
and mothers to the mental and spiritual growth of 
their children and to urge them to grow with the 
latter. By no means all children can lead their . 
parents in this way, but the church should be alert 
to notice the opportunities that may open in this 


The Training of Parents 91 





direction to develop the missionary outlook and in- 
terest of the parents in the home. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


R. E. Diffendorfer, ‘‘ Missionary Education in Home 
and School.”’ Methodist Book Con. $2.00. 

Tyler Dennett, “ A Better World.” Missionary Edu- 
cation Movement. $1.50. 

S. M. Fahs, “ Uganda’s White Man of Work.” Mis- 
sionary Education Movement. 75 cents. 

E. D. Hubbard, “ Ann of Ava.” Missionary Educa- 
tion Movement. 50 and 75 cents. 

Basil Mathews, “ Livingstone the Pathfinder.” Mis- 
sionary Education Movement. 75 cents. 

J. M. Hull, “ Judson the Pioneer.”” The American 
Baptist Publication Society. 60 cents. 

Jean Cochran, “ Foreign Magic.” Missionary Edu- 
cation Movement. $1.50. 

Frances Little, “ The Lady of the Decoration.” Cen- 
tury Co. $1.25. 

E. R. Young, “ By Canoe and Dog Train.”’ Methodist 
Book Con. $1.00. 

I. T. Headland, “‘ The Chinese Boy and Girl.” F. H. 
Revell Co. $1.75. 

K. S. Hall, “ Children at Play in Many Lands.” Mis- 
sionary Education Movement. 175 cents. 

S. C. Bryant, ‘‘ How to Tell Stories to Children.” 
Houghton Mifflin Co. $1.50. 

Marian Keith, “The Black Bearded Barbarian.” 
Missionary Education Movement. 175 cents. 

Dillon Wallace, “ The Story of Grenfell of the Labra- 
dor.” F.H. Revell Co. $1.50. 


92 Making a Missionary Church 


Jean Cochran, “The Bells of the Blue Pagoda.” 
Presbyterian Board Pub. $1.75. © | 7 

Margaret Applegarth, ‘‘ Missionary Stories for Lit- 
tle Folks.” George H. Doran Co. $1.75. 

Margaret Applegarth, “Some Boys and Girls in 
America.” George H. Doran Co. $1.50. 


VI 
THE MESSAGE OF THE PULPIT 


The Missionary Spirit of the Pulpit 


The public addresses of the pastor furnish of 
course the best opportunity for proclaiming the 
missionary message of the gospel. That does not 
only mean missionary sermons. These there should | 
be, but the missionary message given by the pulpit \ 
should be much broader than this. The whole spirit 
of the pastor ought to be missionary. If he is 
training himself constantly for his task of mis- 
sionary leadership, his missionary interest and mis- 
sionary spirit will be constantly evident, and will 
appear continually in his public services. His 
sermons will show his missionary spirit, his prayers 
will be missionary in petition and outlook, his selec- 
tion of Scripture will reveal the missionary mean- 
ing of the book, and his congregation will inevitably 
feel his broad kingdom spirit. This missionary 
spirit and attitude is fundamental in the message 
of the pulpit. On the one hand it is quite likely 
that without this interest there will be very little 
missions in his prayers or sermons, and on the 
other any missionary sermons he may preach will 
probably be cold and fruitless and occasioned at 
best only by the appeal of denominational loyalty. 
But granted the missionary spirit, and the pastor’s | 
whole pulpit message—sermon, Scripture lesson, 
prayer, hymns—will be surcharged with the mis- 

93 


94, Making a Missionary Church 


sionary spirit. His prayers will sweep the whole 
horizon of human need, his Scripture reading will — 
again and again bring to his people the great ‘‘ who- 
soever ” messages of the Bible, the hymns he selects 
will lift the congregation in song to the heights of 
a world outlook, and his sermons will deal with the 
large themes of Christ’s universal gospel and will 
be full of interesting illustrations from the great 
world field. 


Missionary Interpretation of the Bible 


w The Bible is a missionary book. No one who has 
studied it or read it thoughtfully could fail to note 
this. Jesus’ gospel has its individualistic side, of 
course, but he was profoundly concerned that every 
last man, woman, and child “ to the uttermost parts 
of the earth ” should know him and enjoy the bene- 
fits of his kingdom. “ As the Father hath sent me, 
even so send I you,” said the Master, passing on’ 
to every one who claims discipleship the very mis- 
sion that was his. Naturally one who had such 
an ambition would embody the ideal in his teach- 
ing. Jesus seemed to have the needs of all men in 
mind; his great promises are offered to “all,” 
“every one,” “ whosoever ’’; he loved to call him- 
self “Son of man’—the representative of all 
humanity, all nations, all races; his commission to 
his followers was a world-encircling one. It was 
significant that Gentiles (the Magi) came to his 
cradle and that Gentiles also (the Greeks) came to 
him just before he went to the cross. Peter’s ° 
vision and its resulting acceptance of Gentiles as 
followers of Christ, and Paul’s great mission to 


The Message of the Pulpit 95 


the heathen world, show how those closest to Christ 
in time and thought understood his gospel and its 
scope. Paul, Barnabas, Silas, Luke, Timothy, John, 
Mark, those familiar to us from New Testament 
life, were almost all missionaries. Mark’s Gospel 
was written, we are told, for the Romans, Luke’s 
for the Greeks, that of John to bring out the uni- 
versal elements in Christianity. The Book of 
Acts is a story of missionary effort and achieve- 
ment. Paul’s thirteen epistles were written to mis- 
sionaries or to missionary churches. Other New 
Testament books breathe the missionary message, 
and the Bible closes with the great sweeping vision 
of Revelation—“ a great multitude, which no man 
could number, out of every nation and of all tribes 
and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne 
and before the Lamb.” The minister who would 
faithfully teach the gospel of Christ and of the 
New Testament cannot overlook its universal ele- 
ment, for this is its chief characteristic. 

The Old Testament, too, is not without its mis- 
sionary teaching. From Genesis to Malachi there’ 
is a continuous stream of missionary appeal, even 
though interspersed with narrow nationalism. The 
promise to Abraham was that in him should all 
nations of the earth be blessed. Israel was to be 
God’s messenger to the world. Jehovah is the 
God not of the Jews only but of all mankind. The 
messianic kingdom, in which all men should be in- 
cluded, was vividly foretold. Genesis gives the 
missionary message. Ruth was a protest against ’ 
the idea that God loved only the Israelite. The 
Psalms are full of ascriptions of praise to the 


96 Making a Missionary Church 


universal love and power of God. The prophets, 
especially the later parts of Isaiah, Micah, Zech- - 
ariah, and Malachi, give a stirring summons to mis- 
sionary outlook and service. Jonah is as much a 
missionary book as the Book of Acts or the “ Life 
of John G. Paton.” The whole Bible deals with 
the great universal themes, the things common to 
all humanity. Its basic thesis is the fact that all 
mankind is one. Our faith that Christ’s salvation 
is for us and that we can claim his great promises 
and accept his precepts, rests upon his ‘* whoso- 
ever,’ and that includes the Chinese as much as 
the Americans. Clearly God has through all the 
ages wanted all peoples to know him, and the 
message of the Bible, through prophets, historians, 
psalmists, evangelists, apostles, and the Christ him- 
self, is that God loves the world and gives himself 
to save the whole world. 

The pastor who wants to build up a missionary 
church, then, will surely take advantage of the _ 
supreme opportunity given him by his sermons and 
interpret the Bible as a missionary message. This 
does not mean that he will preach a “ missionary 
sermon” every Sunday. There are a multitude 
of texts on which he will preach which are clearly 
personal in their application. Yet in a sense every 
sermon will be a missionary sermon, shot through\ 
with the missionary spirit, expressing the longing’ 
of Christ that every one shall know him. With 
compelling aim, and the background of missionary 
hope, it will be found that there are few subjects, . 
however personal and individual, that do not sug- 
gest the most far-reaching sympathies and re- 


The Message of the Pulpit 97 


sponsibilities; and almost all kinds of sermons, 


upon almost any theme, can be effectively illus- 


trated from the lives, the experiences, the problems © 
of missionaries and their converts. Such refer- 
ences will be fresh and new to most of the hearers, 
and will come with a convincing force that illus- 
trations from life nearer home will often not have. 

In other words, the Bible has a missionary mes- 
sage on every page, and the minister who wants to 
develop his church as an effective missionary force 
must not forget it. God’s message to the world 
is a missionary message. Christ’s challenge to his 
disciples is a missionary challenge. A pastor who 
is faithful to the Bible and faithful to his people, 
will not fail to impress upon them so strongly that 
they will thoroughly believe it the fact that the 
gospel of Christ is a missionary message and God’s 
book a missionary book. 


Missionary Application of the Sermon 


There are some themes—a good many—on which .,) 


the minister will preach that readily suggest their 
missionary teaching. ‘‘ The Love of God,” for ex- 
ample, suggests the duty of our making that love 
known to every creature. “ The Kingdom of God ” 
is a subject which cannot be presented adequately 
without reference to the need of bringing all peo- 
ples into its sway. “ Christian Citizenship ” takes 
in the evangelization of the New Americans and 
the possibilities of Christian Americanization. On 
the other hand, a theme that is more personal, like 
sorrow, or suffering, may bring new comfort and 
courage by the call to minister to those of foreign 


98 Making a Missionary Church 


tongue in the community and those in foreign lands 


who sorrow or suffer. “Prayer” will gain im- \ 


mensely in its appeal if the far-reaching possibili- 
ties of a world-wide prayer fellowship with Chris- 
tians of every land are shown. So with many other 
themes. If a pastor is imbued with the missionary 
spirit and views his ministry and the Christian life 
of his people in the light of the missionary pur- 
pose of God, he will see a missionary meaning in 
very many of the themes on which he preaches. A 
minister needs to be on his guard against allowing 
provincial habits of thought and the appeal of things 
close at hand to keep him from bringing to his peo- | 
ple those broader applications of Scripture which 
will give the larger view of the kingdom and the 
exhilarating far look which all Christians need. 


Missionary Illustrations 


On the other hand there are many subjects on 
which a minister will preach which cannot be di- 
rectly applied in a missionary way, but which offer 
attractive possibilities of missionary illustration. | 
“ Faith ” finds striking illustration in the story of 
missionary pioneers like Judson or Morrison. 
* Joy ” can be made full of meaning by the recital 
of the happiness of a Christian convert brought out 
of the hopelessness of heathenism into the gladness 
of the Christian hope. “ Home” gathers new sig- 
nificance by the contrast between a home in non- 
Christian India or Africa and a Christian home in 
America. ‘ Be strong in the Lord” is a text which’ 
can be strikingly illustrated from the character of 
strong missionary leaders and missionary converts. 


The Message of the Pulpit 99 


Evangelistic themes can be illustrated by stories 
of heroic decision from the mission field that come 
with a peculiar appeal. There is hardly a sermon 
that a minister can preach that cannot be illus- 
trated effectively from the world of missions at 
home and abroad. One value of missionary illus- 
trations is that they come with a welcome and at- 
tractive freshness to one’s hearers. They deal with 
experiences that are common to all humanity, while 
they bring the truth to bear on one’s life from a 
new angle. Another value of frequent missionary 
illustrations is that they keep the subject of mis- 
sions before the people in an unobtrusive way. The 
missionary reference is quite indirect, but it re- 
minds of those “ other sheep ” for whom Christ died 
and for whose evangelization the hearers are re- 
sponsible. As a means of teaching missions and 
their results and of impressing the value of mis- 
sionary work, the simple use of missionary illus- 
trations is invaluable. 

Where find such illustrations? They are not 
brought together ready made in books of illustra- 
tions. But they are found galore in denominational 
missionary magazines and in the pamphlet litera- 
ture published by the mission boards. There is 
an almost unlimited and rapidly growing variety of 
books from which missionary illustrations can be 
secured: biography, travel, etc.t Every live 
preacher is on the alert for illustrations. His mis- 
sionary reading, and even the daily press, will pro- 
vide him with the finest sort of telling illustrations 
which will make his sermons more interesting and 

1On this subject see Chapter IX. 


100 Making a Missionary Church 


will help him in his work of developing a missionary 
church. | | : 


Missionary Talks to the Children 


Many pastors preface their sermons by a brief talk 
to the children. Some give such a sermonette every 
Sunday, others occasionally. Generally a story is 
told, and lessons are drawn from it, or the story is 
left to teach its own lessons. In some form or other 
the plan has proved helpful to a large number of 
pastors. The problem is to get suitable stories, in- 
teresting, fresh, having a lesson that is evident 
without explanation. Missionary stories solve they. 
problem. ‘There are stories of adventure, stories — 
of heroes and heroines, stories of child life, stories 
of how the gospel of Christ can lighten dark homes 
and dark hearts, love stories, stories of giving, 
stories of praying, stories of hymns, stories of war 
and stories of peace, stories of Christmas and 
stories of Easter, stories of home and stories of 
patriotism—an endless number and variety of sto- 
ries, from every land and every mission field, for- 
eign and home. None of them, probably, the boys 
and girls of your congregation have ever heard; 
and the chances are good that most of them will be 
new to the grown-ups as well. No stories will prove 
more interesting. 

Where get the stories? Read your missionary 
magazine, and you will find plenty of them. Your 
mission boards also publish some in brief folders. 
But many of the best are in such books as are listed: 
at the close of this chapter. If you read some of the 
missionary books that are constantly appearing you 


The Message of the Pulpit 101 





will pick up many a good tale that your a and 
girls will be eager to hear. 


Missionary Sermons and Addresses 


On occasion every minister should preach a mis- y 


sionary sermon. Missionary illustrations, mission- 
ary applications of the text, and missionary stories 
to the children are all valuable means of awakening 
interest and imparting some measure of informa-_ 
tion, but nothing can take the place of a well-thought-’ 
out, thoroughly prepared missionary sermon. Its 
directness and frankness will carry conviction. The 
minister’s sermon is his chief public message, and 
to give this a missionary theme will convince the 
people of the importance of the subject. A special 
reason for missionary sermons is the need for more 
time for developing a theme than can be had in just 
a missionary application. There are great mission- 
ary ideas in the gospel that need full and clear 
exposition, and a half hour is little enough for 
setting any of them in an interesting and convinc- 
ing way before the congregation. 

Among the missionary themes upon which a 
minister may well preach are The Missionary Pur- 
pose of the Church, The Universal Gospel, The World 
Fellowship of Christians, The Universal Response 
to Christ, The Contribution of the Races to Chris- 
tian Thought and Experience, The Missionary Call, 
The Stewardship of Missionary Prayer, Money and 
the Kingdom, etc. A multitude of texts are avail- 
able to the preacher for missionary sermons. The 
following are only a few of the immense number 
that can be chosen: 


102 


Genesis 12: 1-3 
Genesis 22 : 15-18 
2 Kings 5: 2,3 
Psalm 2 

Sam 22202 say oO 
Psalm 24: 1-6 
Psalm 33 : 5-8 
Psalm 46: 10 
Psalm 47 

Psalm 66: 1-4 
Psalm 67 

Psalm 96 

Psalm 97: 1,2 
Psalm 117 

Psalm 145: 138 
Isaiah 2: 2,3 
Isaiah 11: 9 
Isaiah 11: 10 
Isaiah 384: 1 
Isaiah 42: 1-4 
Isaiah 48: 6 
Isaiah 44: 6 
Isaiah 45 : 22 
Isaiah 49: 5-7 
Isaiah 52: 10 
Isaiah 66: 18,19 
Jeremiah 22 : 29 
Micah 4: 1-5 
Habakkuk 2: 18-20 
Habakkuk 2: 14 
Zechariah 2:3 11 
Zechariah 9: 9,10 
Malachi 1: 11 


Making a Missionary Church 


Matthew 6: 10 
Matthew 28 : 18-20 
Luke 2: 32 
Luke 4: 25-27 
Luke 19: 10 

Luke 24: 46, 47. 
JoOnn 1 tag 

John 1 
John 1 
JONN Voss elo 
gohn 4: 
John 10: 16 
John 20: 21 

Acts 1: 8 

Acts 10: 34, 35 
Acts 112A8 

Acts 13: 1-4° 

Acts 17: 24-31 - 
Romans 1: 16 
Romans 3: 29 
Romans 10: 11-15 
1 Corinthians 1 : 24 
2 Corinthians 5: 19 
Ephesians 2 : 13-16 
ZUP CLE tees 

3 John 5-7 
Revelation 5: 9 
Revelation 7 : 9, 10 


The Message of the Pulpit 103 


Missionary sermons should be preached more or, 
less regularly, but not on any fixed Sundays. Nor | 
should they very often be connected with appeals 
for money. Sometimes they may be thus used, but 
more often with an educational or inspirational pur- 
pose. Christians must be taught the “ wideness 
in God’s mercy,” and the responsibility that rests 
upon them as Christ’s followers to see that the last 
man at the ends of the earth knows that a Saviour 
has come. When this foundation is solidly and se- | 
curely laid the financial appeal will have weight. 
So give the people the conception of the greatness 
of the gospel and of the kingdom that the Bible 
teaches; then apply it to money and prayer and 
service. | 

An occasional missionary address of a more in- 
formal character may well be given, perhaps Sun- 
day night or on other evenings of the week. This 
may be devoted to a description of one of the mis- 
sion fields of the denomination, or the life-story of 
a great missionary. A series of such addresses is 
often profitable, and interest is often added by the 
use of good lantern-slides. 


Prayer-meeting Addresses 


Opportunity is afforded by the mid-week service | 
for a more informal and intimate presentation of © 
missions. Here the devotional side of the subject 
can be emphasized. For instance, the history of 
missions is one continued illustration of Christian 
faith, and a study of this theme from the point 
of view of missions will be inspiring and at the 
same time will present it in a fresh way. A study 


104 Making a Missionary Church 


of the missionary journeys of Paul in the light of 
modern missionary work will both illuminate the - 
New Testament story and give a sympathetic under- 
standing of present-day missionary methods and 
problems. Scarcely anything will be more interest- 
ing or suggestive than a series of studies of the 
character of great missionaries in the light of 
Christ’s character. 

Of still more informal nature is a series of pro- 
grams on various missionary themes, geographical, 
biographical, or topical. ‘These can be presented 
under the direction of the church missionary com- 
mittee, or the Woman’s Missionary Society. Parti- — 
cipation should not be limited to the women, how- 
ever, but all groups should be enlisted. Different 
organizations may in turn present a program. 
Care needs to be taken that every program be well 
prepared, with nothing read, and that new features 
be introduced into each succeeding meeting. Maps 
should be freely used. Indeed a missionary map 
of the world should hang in every church. Stere- 
opticon lectures may be used effectively, and a wise 
selection and use of pamphlet literature will 
strengthen and continue the impression made. 


Interpreting World Events 


Every minister ought to be an interpreter to his, | 
people of the meaning of the great events contin- \ 
ually occurring in the world. Every one reads the 
newspaper and knows the important happenings 
chronicled from South America and Asia and Africa 
as well as in Europe and our own country. But 
people think of the world’s events mostly in their 


The Message of the Pulpit 105 


relation to politics, or business, or social conditions. 
They do not think of their relation to the kingdom 
of God. That side is not suggested in news items 
or editorials. It is the opportunity of the minister 
to point this out to them—to interpret events in 
the Near East, in China or India or the Philippines, 
in South America or Africa, in terms of Christ’s 
advancing kingdom. He will need to know some- 
thing of the historical background of the events, 
and especially the religious and missionary back- 
ground. If he keeps himself informed and takes 
advantage of his opportunities, he can render an 
incalculable service to his people. The missionary : 
interpretation of current world events will be a new 
angle from which to view them, and will be welcomed 
as a fresh and new contribution to the understand- 
ing of them. Too few of the minister’s congrega- 
tion read a missionary periodical, and still fewer 
read missionary books, but he can make the news- 
paper a live, up-to-date missionary daily if he will.? 


Interpreting the Denominational Program 


Every pastor receives requests to preach on special 
subjects or to observe special seasons or follow 
special programs, enough to fill up all his Sundays 
and take up all his attention. Such requests come 
from the Red Cross, the Associated Charities, the 
hospitals, the Anti-Saloon League, independent mis- 
sions, and a host of other worthy and unworthy 
organizations. But there is one program that every 
minister ought to follow, and that is the program 
of his denomination. To the requests of his denomi- 

2See Chapter IX. 


106 Making a Missionary Church 


nation and its leaders he ought to give heed, and 
so far as local conditions permit. he ought to ob- 
serve the program suggested. The missionary part 
of the year’s program will call for public presenta- 
tion of many themes. The preacher ought not to 
think of himself as hampered by this, but rather 
to welcome the missionary opportunity it brings. 
He does not need to apologize for presenting a 
missionary theme; he is just being loyal to the 
church and the denomination. Moreover, the series 
of subjects on which he is asked to speak are likely 
to have a logical relation, so that his people will get 
something constructive. The program of the de- 
nomination will call for activities in other direc- — 
tions, but by all means let him not neglect to pre- 
sent the program in his pulpit messages. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


H. T. Kerr, ‘Children’s Missionary Story-Ser- 
mons.” F. H. Revell Co. $1.25. 

H. B. Montgomery, ‘The Bible and Missions.” 
Missionary Education Movement. 40 and 60 cents. 

Coe Hayne, “‘ By-Paths to Forgotten Folks.” The 
American Baptist Publication Society. $1.25. 

Margaret Applegarth, ‘“ Next Door Neighbors.” 
F. H. Revell Co. $1.25. 

J. M. Serrell, “ Tales of Great Missionaries for 
Young People.” F. H. Revell Co. $1.25. 

A. H. Clark, “India on the March.” Missionary 
Education Movement. 50 and 75 cents. 

L. H. Hammond, “ In the Vanguard of a Race.” Mis- 
sionary Education Movement. 50 and 75 cents. 


The Message of the Pulpit 107 


H. A. Musser, “ Jungle Tales.” George H. Doran Co. 
$1.50. 

H. A. Musser, “More Jungle Tales.” George H. 
Doran Co. $1.50. 

James Paton, “ Story of John G. Paton.” A. L. Burt 
Co. 75 cents. 

E. R. Young, “Stories from Indian Wigwam and 
Northern Campfire.” Methodist Book Con. $1.00. 

D. F. Giles, ‘‘ Adventures in Brotherhood.” Mission- 
ary Education Movement. 50 and 75 cents. 

B. Mathews, “ Torchbearers in China.” Missionary 
Education Movement. 50 and 75 cents. 


VII 
THE CHURCH-SCHOOL CURRICULUM 


The Most Important Place for Missionary Training _ 


It is in the church school that the children and 
young people of the church get their ruling ideas 
regarding Christianity and the Christian life and 
Christian service. Even if they do not study very 
much they hear a good deal. They absorb the ideas ; 


of the teacher and the spirit of the superintendent, © 


and readily assume their attitude. Whether the 
Sunday-school pupils’ conception of the kingdom 
of God is to be provincial and narrow, or broad as 
the world, whether they are to think of God as 
having a special interest in Americans or as being 
ambitious equally for all peoples and races, whether 
their feeling of Christian responsibility is to be 
limited to members of their own congregation and 
community or is to take in every person in every 
land, will be largely determined for their life by 
what is taught in the church school—the Sunday 
school. What Christ and Christianity mean to them , 


depends on what they learn in the church school. | 


Here they get a true idea of the gospel or they get 
a false one. The minister’s preaching may be 
true, but that will not matter much to the children 
and young people; they don’t hear many of his 
sermons, and those they hear are generally not di« 


rected to them but to the older folks. They get their . 
religious ideas in the Sunday school or in the home. | 


108 


The Church School Curriculum 109 


In view of the formative influence of the church 
school it is passing strange that its importance from 
a missionary standpoint has received so little at- 
tention, comparatively. It is in fact the place of © 
supreme importance for teaching missions and for 
training in missionary service. There has been a 
great increase in the efforts for missionary educa- 
tion in the church school, but what has been done 
has searcely scratched the surface yet. If the re- 
ligion of Christ is a missionary religion and the 
supreme purpose of every Christian and of the 
church is to establish the reign of Christ through- 
out all the world, then this ought to be taught in 
the church school to every child and young man 
and young woman, and the most earnest efforts 
should be put forth to train them in the obligations 
and methods of missionary service. 


Missions Should Be Central in the Course of Study 


This follows from the fact that missions is cen- 
tral in Christianity. If missionary teaching is left 
out, the heart of the gospel is left out. Somebody 
objected to having missions taught in the Bible 
school, saying, “The Bible school is the place to * 
teach the Bible.” But if any teachers do not know 
that the great message that sweeps through all 
Scripture is the missionary purpose of God and the 
missionary responsibility of his people, they need 
to sit down to a serious study of what the Bible 
really teaches and what the gospel of Christ really 
is. And most teachers need just such a study. 
Teaching missions means most emphatically teach- 
ing the Bible. Nor is personal religion to be left 


110 Making a Missionary Church 


out of the teaching. Rather does missions give an 
added reason for emphasizing the development of © 
a strong Christian character, for it gives an ob- 
jective, a use, for Christian character and its in- 
fluence and power. Nor is evangelism crowded 
out by making missionary teaching central in the 
school course of study. Evangelism is missions, 
limited to one’s friends and neighbors. Social and 
community service should of course be retained also; 
these are missions in the sphere of one’s neighbor- 
hood. 

Indeed the spirit of missions is the spirit of all 
unselfish Christian service. And in its more special 
and more definite sense it is the expression of the - 
limitless reach of the gospel, the logical goal of all 
Christian service. Without the teaching of mis- 
sions it is only a limited gospel which is taught. But 
making missions central in the teaching of the 
school holds before the pupils all the time the two 
great compelling truths of Christianity around 
which everything else centers: that Christ died for 
all men, and that it is the business of every Chris- 
tian to give the gospel to all men. No church that 
wants to be true to the gospel of Jesus can neglect 
to impress these truths upon the children and young 
people in the church school. Make these truths 
vital and give them meaning by teaching their ap- 
plication to missionary work, illustrate them by the 
stories of missionary life, and you will develop a 
missionary generation and make a missionary 
church. Beyond all comparison, the strategic oppor- 
tunity for missionary education is among the chil- 
dren and young people, 


The Church School Curriculum lll 


Few Study Courses Give Proper Place to Missions 


In general, the curriculum of a church school is 
built up around one of two ideas. On the one hand, 
there is the study of Biblical material strictly, the 
Bible being divided into sections to make a cycle 
of courses, as in the International Uniform Lessons. 
In this plan subjects are usually not the basis of 
study, but whatever teachings may suggest them- 
selves are drawn from the verse or verses under con- 
sideration. The interest is primarily on personal 
religion. Missions generally receives little attention. 


On the other hand there is the study of subjects, the Y 


curriculum consisting of a series of courses, histori- 
cal, biographical, and practical, all of course based 
on the Bible. Makers of such a system of study have 
the widest opportunity, and as this plan is coming 


more and more. into use, in graded lesson courses, ,, 
it is natural that missions should be given a place’ 


with other subjects. An increasing attention, in- 
deed, is being given to missions by those preparing 
Sunday-school courses for the various denomina- 
tions, and practically every grade in the school now 
finds references made to missions in the courses 
studied. 

Nevertheless, few series of lessons provide an 
adequate place for missions. Missionary illustrations 
are given and a few missionary biographies may 
appear, but little serious attention is paid to the 
basic importance of missions. For example, pro- 
vision should be made somewhere in the curriculum 
for a study of the missionary nature of Christianity, 
showing how it is fundamental in the teachings and 


112 Making a Missionary Church 


spirit of Christ and obligatory upon all his follow- 
ers. What missionaries do, who the missionaries of - 
the denomination are and where they work, and 
other similar subjects, should be studied. In fact 
the church-school curriculum should give a fairly 
complete view of the principles and work of mis- 
sions. It is a serious reflection upon any school 
that its pupils can grow to manhood and woman- 
hood without learning what Christ is doing through 
his church in making his prophetic words a reality: 
“T, if I be lifted up from earth, will draw all men 
unto myself’; learning, in other words, how the 
kingdom of Christ is advancing throughout the 
earth. Without such a course no church-school cur- 
riculum can be considered complete. 


What Should a Christian Know of Missions? — 


Consider what a well-informed Christian ought 
to know about the missionary enterprise of Christ. 
He ought to be familiar with the following: (1) 
New Testament principles of missions; the teach- 
ing and practise of Jesus, Paul’s missionary work, 
and their meaning for Christians today. (2) The 
expansion of Christianity; the story of the growth 
of the kingdom through Paul and other later mis- 
sionaries down to our own time. (3) What mission- 
aries do; forms of missionary work and how a mis- 
sionary lives. (4) Who and where the missionaries 
of the church are; the various missions and the 
names of more prominent workers. (5) Some re- 
sults of missions; concrete instances of transforma- : 
tion in personal life, influence of missions on na- 
tions, numerical growth of the church. (6) The 


The Church School Curriculum 113 


missionary obligation upon every Christian ; Christ’s 
claim upon our life, our prayers, our money; what 
constitutes a missionary call. 

These by no means include all the missionary 
knowledge which any one who continues to read and 
study may learn, nor is it to be expected that any 
of these subjects will be studied exhaustively in the 
Sunday school. Only a very general survey can be 
made in the regular course, but all the above topics 
should be included in such a survey. Surely no one 
can claim a knowledge and understanding of the 


New Testament without knowing what it teaches // 


about missions, the subject of Christ’s last Great 
Commission, and the work of the great missionary- 
apostle Paul. If we are to understand the teachings 
of Christ about the growth of the kingdom, and if 
the book of the Acts is to be something more than 
an isolated history of a few decades of first-cen- 
tury events, unrelated to present-day history, the ,, 
acts of twentieth-century missionary apostles must /\ 
be studied, in the expansion of the kingdom of 
Christ. If Christ’s command to us, his followers, to 
go and make disciples of all the nations, even to the 
uttermost parts of the earth, is to have any really 
practical meaning in our purposes, prayers, and acts 
we must know what this missionary obligation 
means which Christ has laid upon us. Emphatically 
it must be said that every Christian ought to have 
some fair knowledge of the meaning and facts of 
the missionary enterprise of Christ and his church, 
as outlined above, and no Christian can think of him- 
self as well informed who does not have at least the 
minimum of knowledge suggested. 


114 Making a Missionary Church 


A Course in Missions in the Church-school Curriculum _ 


Clearly such a well-ordered knowledge of mis- 
sions as is suggested above cannot be gained simply 
by casual references to the subject in connection 
with other courses. The missionary teachings of 
Christ, the missionary work of Paul, present-day 
missionary apostles, all these and other missionary 
themes will be touched upon more or less in ap- 
plication or illustration. But to secure an adequate 
grasp of the subject requires a regular course of 
study, distinct from other courses and complete in 


itself. It should not be an optional course, but — 


should have a place in the curriculum on a par 
with other courses. We are not speaking of an 
adult course, but a course for older boys and girls 
or young men and women. A suitable place in the 
schedule is the senior or high-school department. 
Pupils at that age are finding their interest broad- 
ening and are likely to be somewhat impatient with 
studies along the lines of previous courses. They 
are in just the mood and the intellectual and spiri- 
tual attitude for a study of The World Adventure 
of Christ. Frame the title as may be desired, only 
keep away from anything hackneyed and uninter- 
esting, and express the big and adventurous in the 
program of Christ and his followers. 

There is at present no satisfactory course avail- 
able for most churches, simple yet comprehensive. 
Very few denominational publishing boards have 


worked along this line in preparing their Sunday-° 


school material, but are still mostly following the 
beaten tracks; so perhaps a new trail will have to 


“en 


The Church School Curriculum 115 





be blazed in many schools. You may have to work 
out your own course. But it will not prove a diffi- 
cult matter except in securing suitable text-books. 
Perhaps the following outline will help: 


SUGGESTED MISSIONARY COURSE FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL 


KINDERGARTEN AND PRIMARY © 


Aim: To show that God loves all his children. 
Time: A few minutes each Sunday in assembly period. 
Subject: God’s love for his world-family. 


Method: Study of a foreign boy or girl in United States 
and one in a foreign land as projects illustrating life 
of others in God’s great family. 

Contributions to work relating to definite object chosen 
as project. 
Missionary prayers and songs. 


Service: Send story papers to other children. Make scrap- 
books of Bible pictures for children in home missions 
or abroad. 

Collect picture post-cards to send abroad. 


JUNIOR 


Aim: To develop a spirit of world interest and world 
friendship. 


Time: Assembly period, occasional meetings of classes 
during week. 


Subject: Boys and girls of other lands and races. 


Method: Stories of foreign boys and girls in United States 
and boys and girls of other lands. 
Two or three projects—e. g., mission schools, as con- 
crete illustrations. 
Dramatization of stories. 
Games of foreign children. 
Missionary prayers and hymns. 
Contributions to definite work studied as projects. 


116 Making a Missionary Church 





Service: (Through Junior Society or other organization 
if advisable, but in coordination with Sd 
program.) 

Friendly service to foreign children in Sean aitee 
Collecting curios and photos. 

Making scrap-books. 

Dressing dolls. 

Summer Christmas-tree. 

White Cross work. 

Picture post-cards. 


INTERMEDIATE 

Aim: To develop spirit of Christian heroism and unselfish 
service. 

Time: Assembly period, also few minutes each Sunday in 
class sessions, supplemented by occasional outside meet- 
ings of classes. 

Subject: Heroes of missions at home and abroad. 

Method: Biographical studies of heroic Christians of other 
lands and races. ANTE 
Lives of great missionaries, medieval and modern. 

Study of three or four projects. 

Dramatization of missionary stories. 

Missionary prayers and hymns. 

Contributions to definite work studied as projects. 

Service: (Through Young People’s Society if advisable, 
but in coordination with Sunday-school program.) 

Friendly service to foreign homes in community. 
White Cross work. 

Collect curios and photos. 

Correspond with students in foreign lands. 

Make puzzles and picture-books for a home mission. 
Dress dolls for home or foreign mission children. 


SENIOR 
Aim: To give connected view of missionary history and _ 
methods and appreciation of missionary obligation. 
Time: Full year course of study as part of curriculum, also 
outside meetings of classes. 


The Church School Curriculum 117 





Subject: The why and how of missions. 


Method: Christian basis of missions. 
Story of the expansion of Christianity. 
What a missionary does. 
The missionary obligation, including missionary call 
and principles of stewardship. 


Service: (Through Young People’s Society or other or- 
ganization if advisable, but in coordination with Sun- 
day-school program.) . 

Friendly service to foreigners. 

White Cross work. 

Correspond with foreign students and missionaries 
(home and foreign). 

Entertain foreign students from near-by colleges. 

Provide special articles needed by missionaries. 

Collect photos and curios. 

Make maps and posters. 

Supply literature for foreign Sunday school. 

Give social for foreign young people. 

Volunteer for Christian life service. 

Contribute through church treasury. 


ADULT 


Aim: To discover the relation of the church and the de- 
nomination to the present-day missionary task. 


Time: Three-months’ course each year. Also outside meet- 
ings of classes. 


Subject: Missions of the denomination; present-day mis- 
sionary problems. 


Method: Missions and missionaries of the denomination. 
Problems of present-day missions. 
The unfinished task. 
Missionary meaning of current world events. 
The missionary obligation, including principles of 
stewardship and the missionary call. 


Service: Christian Americanization work. 
White Cross work. 


118 Making a Missionary Church 





Entertain foreigners of community and foreign stu- 

dents from near-by college. 
Provide articles specially needed by missionaries. 
Contribute through church treasury. 


Material for such a course as that outlined can be 
found in pamphlets, books, letters, pictures, maps, 
etc., which can be secured through the mission 
boards. Above all, the Bible should be the main 
text-book. 


Supplemental Teaching 


As a beginning, one of the easiest methods of 
introducing the teaching of missions into a church. 
school is to add missionary instruction to the regular. / 
curriculum as supplementary material. For ex- 
ample, a brief missionary talk may be given to the 
school or to the different departments before the 
lesson period. This may be a story, or a map 
demonstration, or something else that is simple, 
direct, brief, and interesting. Some denominations 
publish a series of stories for such use, illustrated 
with posters. Another similar method is to teach 
a supplemental missionary lesson once a month in © 
connection with the regular lesson, or every Sun- 
day for a regular period. Such a supplémental 
course can be made up by the school itself if no 
suitable material is published by the denomination. 
The important thing is to have even so limited a 
course as a supplemental course must be, as com- 
prehensive as possible, even though it extend over 
a long period of time. 

There are two main difficulties, however, with 
supplemental courses. One is the limited amount 


The Church School Curriculum 119 


of time that can be given to a lesson. Five or ten 
minutes, or fifteen at the outside, is all that can be 
expected for the missionary lesson, if the regular 
lesson is to be taught also, and this is very inade- 
quate and unsatisfactory in the intermediate and 
senior grades. Another difficulty is the very fact 
that the missionary study is supplemental. Not 
being a part of the regular curriculum it is looked 
upon as less important. Missions tends to be 
thought of as optional rather than essential. If 
the supplemental lesson is taught in the separate 
classes it is likely to be slighted by many teachers 
for the same reason. The unfortunate results of 
presenting missions in a way to make it seem op- 
tional with a Christian, to practise or not as he 
desires, have been serious and wide-spread, and 
just as soon as possible the subject should be given 
a place in the regular curriculum, even though at 
first the place given be small. Nevertheless, if no 
- other way can be found, supplemental missionary 
lessons of some sort are an excellent way of be- 
ginning. 


Director of Missionary Education 


So important is missionary education and so 
liable is it to be neglected in the church school 
that some one should be charged with the over-. / 
sight and direction of this part of the teaching and ° 
activity of the school. Every school should have 
a director of missionary education elected or ap-\ 
pointed as one of the officers, the same as the 
superintendents, treasurer, etc. The director of 
missionary education can be either a man or a 


120 Making a Missionary Church 


woman, but should be most carefully chosen. The 
school should have the most capable leader possible 
for this work. Some one with education and a 
broad outlook should be found, interested in the 
educational side of the church work and with as 
good acquaintance as possible with missions at 
home and abroad—though a willingness to learn 
may quite readily take the place of this last quali- 
fication. It may be found advisable to have a com- 
mittee or assistants in the several departments 
to help the director of missionary education, and 
the school should provide such material as is neces- 
sary, the same as for other departments of work. 


Missionary Dramatization 


A word should be said here regarding the edu- 
cational value of dramatization in developing a 
knowledge of missions. The subject will be men- 
tioned again in connection with the social life of the 
church (Chapter VIII), as plays and pageants are 
most likely to be presented on social occasions or 
be themselves a feature of the social life of the 
young people. But they are more than entertain- © 
ments. You can have a missionary drama for the 
sake of the spectators or you can have it for the 
sake of the participants. In the former case it 
is presented for the entertainment or instruction 
of the people who look on or for the purpose of 
making money by interesting them. In the second 
case, while the occasion may be the same, and the 
hope of giving missionary information to the 
spectators may be cherished, the principal objec- 
tive is the instructing and interesting of those who 


The Church School Curriculum LE 


take part. This must be kept in mind by those in 
charge of dramatizations in connection with the 
educational curriculum of the church, whether 
they be given as a part of the Sunday-school studies 
or by any of the young people’s societies. 

The children should work up their own drama- 
tizations of missionary stories. Do not deprive 
them of the educational value and the tremendous 
interest of doing this themselves by thinking over- 
much of how the dramatized story will look when 
given in public. As a matter of fact, public per- 
formance is entirely secondary. Most of the drama- 
tizations should be given in the department or class 
meeting alone, and only an occasional one pre- 
sented in public. At one session tell the mission- 
ary story, assign the parts, and have the story acted 
out at the next session. This is the simplest way. 
And only the simplest way is practicable in most 
Sunday schools. In schools with better organiza- 
tion or with sessions of more than the usual hour 
and a quarter, more time and attention can be given 
to preparation. ‘‘The Dramatization of Bible 
Stories,” by Elizabeth E. Miller, while dealing es- 
pecially with Scripture stories, will be found equally 
helpful in dramatizing missionary stories and 
scenes. Another helpful book is ‘‘ Missionary Edu- 
cation through Missionary Dramatics,” by Helen 
L. Willcox. 

The work of the director of missionary educa- 
tion, or missionary superintendent, consists in or- 
ganizing, under the supervision of the superinten- 
dent, of course, the missionary studies and activity 
of the various departments and classes. If the 


122 Making a Missionary Church 





teaching of missions is supplemental the missionary 
superintendent will provide the material, suited to 
the grade or class in which it is used, and suggest 
methods for teaching. Any platform talks or les- 
sons will be arranged by him. If a missionary 
course is to be provided for the curriculum he may 
be entrusted with the responsibility of planning 
this, using as a basis such similar courses as may 
be available. Or better, the educational committee 
of the church, if there is one, should plan the mis- 
sionary course. Perhaps the most important part 
of his work is to show the teachers the mission- 
ary implication of the regular lessons of the cur- 
riculum, to suggest missionary applications, and to 
provide missionary illustrations. Here is an un- 
limited field. It requires a great deal of study and 
reading on the part of the director of missionary 
education, and he should be relieved of all other 
church duties in order to do full justice to this 
work. But it is richly worth while. Nothing else 
in all the work of the church is more important 
than this—leading the teachers of the children and 
young people to teach the Bible as a missionary © 
book and Christ’s gospel as a missionary gospel. 
The depth of the missionary interest of the teachers 
and their effectiveness in developing the missionary 
spirit in their pupils, depends on the work of the 
director of missionary education. 

The director of missionary education is some- 
times a special teacher of missions. Instead of hav- 
ing the missionary teaching done by the regular 
teachers, the classes in turn come to him for mis- 
sions, either for one Sunday or for a regular term 


The Church School Curriculum 123 


of study. The advantage of this plan is that the 
missionary instruction is given by one who is an 
expert in the subject and who is recognized as such. 
The disadvantage is that the regular teachers will 
think of missions as something outside the regular 
course, an extra, and will pay little or no attention 
to it in their studies or the teaching of their les- 
sons. They themselves will fail to be imbued with 
the missionary passion, and their pupils will prob- 
ably have something of their spirit. This is a 
serious objection, for as we have pointed out, any 
plan that places missions in a subordinate position 
or makes it merely an extra, not a part of the reg- 
ular recognized interest of the school or the church, 
gives a false and distorted view of Christianity and 
the Bible. The better plan, though perhaps not the 
easier one, is for the director of missionary edu- 
cation to work through the regular teachers and 
classes, helping the teachers to teach Christian mis- 
sions. 

An important opportunity for the director of 
missionary education is offered by outside activities. 
Missions can be learned not less effectively by doing 
than by listening. A wide range of such activities 
will suggest themselves, such as correspondence with 
missionaries and with foreign boys and girls, col- 
lecting curios for the missionary museum, making 
models of native houses, implements, and clothing, 
gathering pictures of life in mission lands, provid- 
ing special helps needed by missionaries, etc. This 
is covered in detail in Chapter X. Offerings for 
missionary purposes need not be discussed here, as 
this subject is considered fully in Chapter XIII. 


124. Making a Missionary Church 


Missions in the Devotional Service 


An important place for missions is in the dewvo- 


tional service of the Sunday-school session.  t 


S 


comes naturally into the prayers, the Scripture A 


reading, and the hymns. It is easy, also, to bring 
in references to missions, for example, prayers for 


those who have not heard of the Christ we love, | 


and for the missionaries who are telling them the 
good news. From this it is not difficult to pass to 
more concrete missionary petitions. Missionary 
references in the devotional service are exceedingly 
effective, as the serious nature of that part of the 


program makes everything that is said and done 


then leave an impression of importance. (See also 
Chapter XIV.) 

Missions should have frequent place in the songs 
and hymns that are sung by the school.’ The book 
used should be one that contains an adequate num- 
ber of good missionary hymns. There are plenty 
in this class, singable and inspiring. The following 
are some of those that should be known: 


Where Cross the Crowded Ways of Life 
There’s a Light Upon the Mountains 
Watchman, Tell Us of the Night 

Light of the World, We Hail Thee 

O Beautiful for Spacious Skies 

Lead On, O King Eternal 

Fling Out the Banner 

Christ for the World We Sing 

Hail to the Brightness of Zion’s Glad Morning 
We’ve a Story To Tell To the Nations 


y 


The Church School Curriculum 125 





Jesus Shall Reign Where’er the Sun 

The Morning Light Is Breaking 

From Greenland’s Icy Mountains 

The Whole Wide World for Jesus 

Send Thou, O Lord, To Every Place 

O God of Mercy, God of Might 

Love Thyself Last 

O Zion, Haste, Thy Mission High Fulfilling 
Look From Thy Sphere of Endless Day 
Ye Christian Heralds, Go Proclaim 

There’s a Fight To Be Fought 

Hark, The Bugle Call of God 

Rise, Crowned With Light, Imperial Salem, Rise 
The Son of God Goes Forth To War 

God’s Trumpet Wakes the Slumb’ring World 
It May Not Be On the Mountain’s Height 
I Hear Ten Thousand Voices Singing 

In Christ There Is No East or West 

The Church’s One Foundation 

All Hail the Power of Jesus’ Name 
Hasten, Lord, the Glorious Time 


If the church has a stereopticon a missionary 
hymn may occasionally be illustrated with lantern- 
slides while being sung. This is perfectly possible 
even in the daytime without darkening the room. 
Such hymn sets can be secured from the denomina- 
tional agencies. 

If the Uniform Lessons are not used, and the 
lesson text does not have to be read as the Scrip- 
ture in the devotional service, the superintendent 
has wide choice, and some of the missionary pas- , 
sages from the Old and New Testaments should fre- — 


126 Making a Missionary Church 





quently be read.1. Among the passages memorized, 
and occasionally repeated by various classes in the 
devotional service, these missionary chapters and 
verses ought to find a place. 

A valuable feature which can occasionally be in- 
troduced is the telling of a missionary story as an > Si 
introduction to a hymn or prayer, or as an ‘ilietraee 
tion of the Scripture lesson. These can be made 
most telling and effective if well prepared and well 
told, and if not too frequent. Fine collections of 
such stories, brief enough to be very usable, are 
found in “ Five Missionary Minutes,” First and 
Second Series, by Trull. A live superintendent, who | 
reads missionary books and other literature, will 
have little difficulty in finding such illustrations for 
himself, or the director of missionary education can 
provide them. 


Training the Superintendent and Teachers 


Not every superintendent reads missionary books. 
Too many, indeed, are not really interested in the 
missionary enterprise of the church, or have only 
a very moderate interest. Teachers may be classi- 
fied in the same way. It is a tragedy that any who ¥ 
teach the religion of Christ to boys and girls should 
fail to present it in all its bigness and breadth and 
its spirit of world conquest. A teacher who is not in- 
terested in the missionary aspect of the gospel will 
give only a one-sided, imperfect, and probably in- 
dividualistic view, and the inspiring ideal of a world 
won to Christ, with all the possibilities of such am 
ideal in the lives of the boys and girls and young 

1See Chapter VI. 


The Church School Curriculum 127 


people, will be overlooked. The difficulty with 
both superintendent and teachers in such a case is 
lack of knowledge, lack of training. What is said 
in Chapter IV regarding the training of church 
officers applies with great force to the officers and 
teachers of the Sunday school, and one of the most 
important elements in the pastor’s work of build- 
ing up a missionary church may be informing and 
interesting the superintendent along missionary 
lines, or developing and enlarging his interest and 
knowledge. 


The Workers’ Conference 


This is the gathering of all the officers and 
teachers of the school, at which month by month 
all the various interests and problems connected 
with the work are considered. Among these ques- 
tions the subject of missionary instruction and mis- 
sionary activity should have a prominent place. 
Here is an opportunity for the superintendent to 
make clear and positive the world-embracing pro- 
eram of Jesus and the ideals and aims of the school 
in relation to that program. Here the director of 
missionary education can explain plans, illustrate 
methods, offer suggestions, and answer questions. 
Here, too, it may be possible occasionally, say for 
half an hour at the beginning of the session for 
four or five successive meetings, to introduce a 
rapid survey of the principal mission fields of the 
denomination, or an outline of some of the methods 
of mission work, or a study of the Biblical teach- 
- ings concerning the principles of missions. This 
will need to be presented in a live, bright, interest- 


128 Making a Missionary Church 


ing way, by the best-qualified person to be found, 
and should be kept strictly within the time limit. 

The specific question how to organize the school 
for missions is considered in Chapter XV, “‘ Organ- 
izing a Missionary Church.” On the general sub- 
ject of this chapter reference should be had to some 
of the books listed at the close of the chapter. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


W. A. Brown, “ The Why and How of Missions in the 
Sunday School.” F.H. Revell Co. 60 cents. 

Frederica Beard, *‘ Graded Missionary Education in — 
the Church School.” The American Baptist Pub- 
lication Society. 75 cents. | | 

G. H. Trull and J. S. Stowell, ‘The Sunday School 
Teacher and the Program of Jesus.” Presbyterian 
Board Pub. 175 cents. if 

J. S. Stowell, ‘“‘Story-Worship Programs for the © 
Church School Year.” George H. Doran Co. 
$1.50. 

G. H. Trull, “ Five Missionary Minutes.” _Mission- 
ary Education Movement. 75 cents. 

E. E. Miller, ‘‘ Dramatization in Religious Educa- 
tion.”” University of Chicago Press. $1.25. 

G. J. Hutton, “ The Missionary Education of Jun- 
iors.” Missionary Education Movement. 60 cents. 

S. C. Bryant, “ How to Tell Stories to Children.” 
Houghton Mifflin Co. $1.50. 

G. H. Trull, “ Missionary Methods for Sunday School 
Workers.” Sunday School Times. 75 cents. 

R. E. Diffendorfer, ‘‘ Missionary Education in Home 
and School.”’ Methodist Book Con. $2.00. 


The Church School Curriculum 129 


Gilbert Loveland, “ Training World Christians.” 
Methodist Book Con. $1.25. 

W. 8S. Athearn, “The Church School.” Pilgrim 
Press. $1.00. 

J. L. Lobingier, “World Friendship Through the 
Church School.” University of Chicago Press. 
o1.25. 

E. E. Miller, “ The Dramatization of Bible Stories.” 
University of Chicago Press. $1.25. 

H. L. Willcox, ‘‘ Missionary Education Through Mis- 
sionary Dramatics.” Missionary Education Move- 
ment. 25 cents. 

M. M. Russell, “How to Produce Plays and Pag- 
eants.” George H. Doran Co. $1.50. 


Vill 
YOUNG PEOPLE AND THE SOCIAL LIFE 


Coordination with Unified Church Plan 


The young people are a part of the church. But 
a good many of them do not realize it, and in 
plenty of churches no effort is made to bring them 
into the life and plans of the church as a whole. 
They have their own organizations, they hold their 
own meetings, they make their own plans, and often 
their plans are not at all related to the plans of 
the church. But the church plans ought to include 
every organization, every group, and every age in 
the church. Certainly the unified missionary plan, / 
of the church should be comprehensive enough to’ 
provide for the interests and needs of the young 
people. When the missionary plan and program 
of the church are being made up, the young people, , 
should be represented in the discussion, and the plan * 
adopted should make full provision for them. More- 
over, the church plan should be so unified that the 
same general subject or subjects will be the basis of 
class study or programs or reading both in the young 
people’s societies and among the older members of 
the church. Or if the church plan is a progressive, 
graded one, those parts relating to the young peo- » 
ple’s organizations should fit in with the others as 
an integral portion of the whole. Of course the, 
young people should be consulted. Let them be in 
“on the ground floor.” It should be their plan and 
130 


Young People and the Social Life 131 


not only the church’s plan. On the other hand, make 
them feel that they are a part of the church and 
that their missionary program is a part of the whole 
church plan. 


The Importance of Missions for the Young People 


All that we have said about the importance of 
missionary instruction in the Sunday school applies 
with equal force to the young people’s organizations. 
Youth is the time for the fixing of ideas and ideals, | 
and it is of supreme importance that these be true, ~ 
in harmony with Christ’s teachings. And missions 
is at the heart of those teachings. Youth, too, is 
the time of adventure. Anything that savors of 
heroism appeals to them. Here missions has its , 
opportunity, for it is one great story of adventure 
and heroism. Youth, also, is attracted by the big 
things, and nothing is bigger than the world-winning 
project that we call missions. It is not necessary to 
announce “ missionary ” meetings, ‘ missionary ” 
programs, “ missionary ”’ classes, or “ missionary ” 
reading-courses. The Young Women’s Christian 
Association speaks of its “ fellowship work,” and 
the Young Men’s Christian Association has its 
“foreign work,” its “extension work.” The col- 
leges have their “Yale in China,” “Brown in 
China,” etc. You can avoid the handicap of a 
familiar and uninteresting word by calling the | 
missionary work for your young people their “ fel- ‘ 
lowship work” or their “‘ kingdom work,” or you 
can speak of ‘‘ Peekskill in India” or “ Columbus 
in Japan.” Put the subject before them in the 
right way, and you will not fail to enlist their en- 


132 Making a Missionary Church 





thusiastic interest and cooperation. It is worth 
thought and planning, for youth is the critical age — 
for the kingdom. Enlist your young people for the 
world adventure of Christ while they are young,._ 
and you have pretty nearly solved the missionary | 
problem of the church. But do not forget that this 
means education, well-planned, continuous educa- 
tion, so work out your church missionary program 
in a comprehensive way, including all the organiza- 
tions of young people in a program of education 
and activity. 


Give Every Society and Club Its Part in the Missionary 
Program | 


We are talking here, not only of the Christian 
Endeavor Society or the Epworth League or the 
Baptist Young People’s Union or similar societies, 
but of all the organizations for young people and 
boys and girls—Boy Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, Girl 
Scouts, Knights of King Arthur, and every other 
club or society of or for the boys and girls and 
young people outside the Sunday school. Every 
group ought to think of themselves as related to 
boys or girls or young people elsewhere in our coun- 
try and other countries, of their own race and of 
other races. That is the only attitude for any one, 
young or old. It is certainly the only Christian at- 
titude, and a church that calls itself Christian ought 
to make it its business to see that this attitude and 
spirit are inculcated in the life and activity of 
every organization connected with the church. The’ 
business of the church is to Christianize the world. 
And no organization has any place in the church 


Young People and the Social Life 133 


that does not relate itself in some way to that pro- 


gram. An organization does not have to be labeled y, 


“missionary ” to have the missionary spirit. The 
possible expressions of the missionary spirit are 
multiform, almost infinite in number. There is no 
society or club in the church that cannot find ways 
of expressing this outgoing spirit of Christ, and 
this not in a haphazard way, but as a part of the 
unified missionary plan of the church. We shall 
see how this can be done in some of the well-known 
organizations for young people and children. 


The Young People’s Society 


This book is intended as a handbook for church 
leaders, not as an exhaustive treatise on missionary 
methods. So that what is said about missions in 
the young people’s society must be confined to a 
few paragraphs. What we emphasize in this section 
is the place of the young people’s society (Chris- 
tian Endeavor Society, Epworth League, Baptist 
Young People’s Union, etc.) in the unified mission- 
ary plan of the church and to suggest how the so- 
ciety can be effectively related to the church as a 
whole in its missionary plans and work. For 
methods of organization, plans for committee work, 
programs for meetings, courses for study, and other 
phases of missionary work in the young people’s 
society, reference should be had to the suggestions 
given from the headquarters of the organizations 
and by the denominational departments of educa- 
tion or other boards, and to the books mentioned 
at the close of this chapter. 

Let it be emphasized again that youth is pre- 


134 Making a Missionary Church 


eminently the time for developing an interest in 
people outside one’s own circle or community or 


country and for forming habits of world thought— _ 
for making missionary Christians, world Christians. /» 


Therefore let nothing prevent full and adequate pro- 

vision for the young people’s society in the making 

and working out of the church’s missionary plan. 
The society should have a missionary committee 


or department, whose chairman should be a mem- } 


ber of the missionary committee of the church. It 
should take its work seriously, and with earnest- 
ness, prayerfulness, great enthusiasm, persistence, 
and patience do its best to make its part of the 


society’s work the best of all. The knowledge that 


the members of the society have of the world- 
conquering work of Christ, and the extent of their 
cooperation in that work through the church’s 
missionaries, depends mostly on how well the com- 
mittee does its work. 

The plans of the society and its missionary com- 


mittee should be intimately related to the mission- X 


ary plan of the church. In fact they should be an 


integral part of it. This applies, for example, to — 


the topics for the missionary meetings. These 
should be chosen with reference to the general sub- 
ject of study in the church or the course of study 
adopted for the various departments and ages. The 
national young people’s organizations suggest mis- 
Sionary topics in their yearly lists, and these are 
a great contribution to societies in churches having 
no unified missionary plan. But when a church does 
adopt such a plan the young people’s society should 
not slavishly follow the suggested topics, but if 


a 


Young People and the Social Life 135 


necessary substitute other topics in harmony with 
the church plan. For example, if the foreign- 
mission topic adopted by the church for the year is 
Japan and the home-mission topic is the children 
of America, the topics for the missionary meetings 
of the society for the season should be based on 
these subjects. Or if the church has a more compre- 
hensive plan of graded missionary study, the topics 
used by the society should be based on the subjects 
for the young people in that plan, as suggested in 
Chapter II. The same applies to a study class or 
reading-course, and to missionary activities such 
as those suggested in Chapter X. The members of 
the young people’s society should be enlisted in the 
church reading-course, which should include well- 
chosen books suitable for young people. All this 
close coordination of plans can be readily effected 
if the chairman: of the missionary committee of the 
society is a member of a live, working church mis- 
sionary committee. 

The missionary plans of the young people’s so- 
ciety should include one or more study classes. (See 
Chapter IX.) These may be held on some week- 
night, or Sunday afternoon, or the Sunday-evening 
young people’s service may be given to the class 
for a limited period. Or if the church has a school 
of missions, a young people’s class should be a 
part of the program. Missionary programs may 
be given in the society’s meetings occasionally. Take 
care, however, that these are not the ordinary, 
stereotyped kind that are so often dull and unin- 
teresting. The last thing you can afford to do is to 
prejudice the young people against missions, the 


136 Making a Missionary Church 


supreme objective of the church. Have impersona- 
tions and simple dramatizations. Have a debate 
once in a while. Get a native of some foreign coun- 
try to talk to the society. Use the stereopticon. Have 
a travelog, with maps, photographs and other pic- 
tures, posters, etc. Get away from the ordinary 
kind of a program, and create a spirit of expectancy 
in the minds of the members, so that they will 
look forward with anticipation to the program of 
the missionary committee. | , 

It should be remembered that the young people , 
are in training for service, and selected members ~ 
should be sent to institutes and conferences. Es- 
pecially should advantage be taken of the young 
people’s summer conferences and assemblies. The 
conferences held by the Missionary Education Move- 
ment at various places throughout the country dur- 
ing the summer are of inestimable value. Many 
young people have there seen a new vision of the 
possibilities of their lives and have gone home to 
transform their societies and become leaders for 
Christ in the church and even in distant lands. By 
all means send a delegate to one of these or similar . 
conferences every summer. If a missionary insti- 
tute is held within reach during the winter, be repre- 
sented there also. The young people should be 
brought into any missionary conferences held for 
the local church and should have their own place 
in the program. 


Mission Circle and Junior Society 


It is not necessary to say anything here about 
missionary plans for young people’s and children’s 


Young People and the Social Life 137 


societies devoted specially to missions in the various 
denominations, for there is plenty of material pro- 
vided for these, and a request to the denominational 
offices will bring suggestions. The important point 
to mention is that the plans for these societies should 
be made in conjunction with those for the whole 
church, that is, the church’s unified missionary 
plan. This by no means involves rejecting the plans 
suggested by the denominational leaders for these 
organizations, for the whole church plan should 
take fully into consideration the general plans of 
the denomination and should be coordinated with 
them. Yet it may be necessary to adapt somewhat 
the plans suggested from headquarters. 

The junior society, such as the Junior League, 
Junior Christian Endeavor Society, etc., is a some- 
what different proposition. Here the responsibility 
rests principally upon the person in charge. There 
are relatively few plans and suggestions handed 
down from national leaders, and what is done along 
missionary lines is largely dependent on the in- 
terest, vision, and knowledge of the leader. On the 
other hand the opportunity is correspondingly more 
free. Pastors or others choosing one to take charge 
of the junior society should see that no one is 
selected who is indifferent to missions. The im- 
portance of starting the children out into life with 
a broad, Christlike view of the world and the king- 
dom and with a feeling of responsibility for helping 
people everywhere should not be forgotten, and one 
should be selected who has love for others and in- 
terest in other peoples and a great desire to make 
Christ king over all lands, as well as other quali- 


138 Making a Missionary Church 





ties naturally looked for in those to be connected 
with children’s work. If it is important that 
teachers in the Sunday school have the missionary 
spirit and an interest in the missionary teachings 
of the Bible, this is equally important for all others 
who are given responsibility for training and 
teaching and guiding the children. What children 
are and what they become depend on their leaders. 
The missionary teaching given the members of 
the junior society should be closely coordinated with 
that given in the Sunday school. If the latter is 
thorough and comprehensive, there will be little 
need of extensive instruction in the society; though 
the subject should have an occasional place in the 
devotional meetings, to prevent any one-sided pres- 
entation of Christianity. The society is the place, 
however, for special missionary activities like those 
mentioned in Chapter X. There is a good deal along 
that line which cannot be undertaken very easily 
by Sunday-school classes but which can very readily 
be made a part of the junior society program, and 
add very greatly to the interest of the latter. One 
very simple but very interesting and fruitful plan — 
which any society can undertake as supplementary 
to the missionary information given in Sunday 
school or otherwise is the enlisting of the boys 
and girls in the reading of missionary books. Many 
denominations issue reading-courses, and these may 
be followed. Or selected books may be put in the 
hands of individual members with a time limit for 
reading. Or the society may be divided into groups 
for a reading-contest, group against group, or girls 
against boys. Whatever the plans in the junior so- 


Young People and the Social Life 139 


ciety, they should be a part of the unified mission- 
ary plan of the church, taken into consideration in 
the making of that plan, and made in connection 
with that plan. 


Boy Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, Girl Scouts 


Missions in these organizations? Certainly. Why 
not? They area part of the church, and should have 
the same objective as the rest of the church. Of 
course they have a special purpose, in that they are 
related to a special group, the boys and girls, in 
their social activities. But they have an educational 
objective. A merely cursory reading of their 
manuals will convince any one of that. The edu- 
cational methods employed differ from those of the 
church school, inasmuch as it is the out-of-school 
activities which these organizations are trying to 
organize for educational ends. But as organizations 
in the church they have, or should have if they are 
made a part of the church’s activities, the same 
objective as all other organizations in the church, 
namely, the development of a normal, well-rounded 
Christian character, and the formation of habits 
of Christian service. Here is the missionary ideal 
in a nutshell. And a few suggestions will make 
clear how the ideal may be made a practical reality 
in the work of Scouts, Camp Fire Girls, and similar 
clubs and societies. 

One of the promises in the Scout oath, for ex- 
ample, is “ to do my duty to God and my country.” 
From the Christian point of view one cannot do 
one’s duty to God without a full loyalty to God’s 
program for the redemption of the world—in other 


140 Making a Missionary Church 


words, missions. Scouts should be shown that we 
are all of one great world family in God, and that 
one’s duty to God involves doing one’s best for all 
the family of God, in China, Africa, and Europe, as 
in America. For a Christian, to do one’s duty to 
one’s country is certainly to try to make the coun- 
try Christian. Here is home missions. Scouts are 
urged to ‘“‘do a good turn to some one every day.” 
Among those who surely need good turns are the 
foreign people in the community, and there is a 
fine opportunity for Christian scout-masters to de- 
velop the unselfish spirit in their charges by en- 
couraging service to these. ‘‘ No boy can grow into 
the best kind of citizenship without recognizing 
his obligation to God,” says the Scout ‘ Handbook,” 
which further states that the church with which a 
troop is connected is expected to train the boys in 
all things that pertain to allegiance to Ged. Clearly 
it is not lugging in something that does not belong 
in the Scout program to teach how other boys live, 
what are their handicaps and what their possibili- 
ties, and to enlist the boys of the troop in service 
to them. And among the inspiring tales of adven- | 
ture and achievement which they should know are 
the stories of such great Christian scouts as Living- 
stone and Judson+ and others like them that have 
blazed a trail through the wilderness for God. 

The program of the Camp Fire Girls fits into the 
church missionary program even more readily. The 
slogan is ‘‘ Give Service.” The Firemaker’s Desire, 
expressing the ideal of one of the three ranks, is 
distinctly missionary. 


1See ‘“ Livingstone the Pathfinder,’ ‘‘ Judson the Pioneer.” 


Young People and the Social Life 141 


As fuel is brought to the fire 
So I purpose to bring 

My strength 

My ambition 

My heart’s desire 

My joy 

And my sorrow 

To the fire 

Of humankind. 

For I will tend 

As my fathers have tended 
And my fathers’ fathers 
Since time began 

The fire that is called 

The love of man for man 
The love of man for God. 


So also the Torch Bearer’s Desire: “‘ That light 
which has been given to me I desire to pass un- 
dimmed to others.” One of the functions of the 
Camp Fire program is to tie the school and the 
church to the life of the community, and the at- 
tempt is always made to carry the teachings of 
the church into practise. That this ideal includes 
missionary knowledge and service is clear from the 
Desires quoted. And this is emphasized very con- 
cretely in the list of activities for which honors are 
awarded. Among these are seventeen under the 
heading ‘‘ What the American Born Can Do for 
Americanization,” such as ‘‘ Learn five facts about 
the country and customs of five immigrant races,” 
“Take two foreign-born girls to an art museum,” 
“Invite a child from foreign section to your Christ- 
mas or Thanksgiving dinner,” etc. Church honors 
are given for the following, among others: 

Know the names and chief responsibilities of the 


142 Making a Missionary Church 


leading missionary organizations, home and foreign, 
of your denomination. 

Know and tell two classic missionary stories. 

Become a member of a mission study class. 

Attend a summer conference. 

Lead a mission study class. 

Have charge of your church missionary bulletin- 
board. 

Be responsible for the production of a missionary 
play or pageant. 

Besides all these, local honors are provided for, 
chosen by the local Camp Fire, and some of these 
may readily be given for missionary service. 

Both Scouts and Camp Fire Girls are world-wide 
organizations, their ideals are missionary, and it is 
natural and proper to bring missionary teachings 
and missionary service into their meetings and 
life. The same applies to other similar organiza- 
tions. It need hardly be said that there is no 
thought of turning them into mission bands. They 
have their distinctive social and educational pur- 
pose. But as part of the church organization their 
purpose should harmonize with the supreme mis- 
sionary objective of the church, and they ought 
to be fitted into the plans of the church, including 
the missionary plans. Tact and common sense and 
appreciation of true proportions are needed in this. 
as in all things. But the opportunities for broad 
Christian training are unlimited. 


An Educational Plan for the Whole Church 


It must be clear from the above that the educa- 
tional plans of the church include more than the 


Young People and the Social Life 143 


church school. It is a mistake for a church to limit 
its thought of its educational work to the school. 
All the young people’s and children’s societies, clubs, 
and other organizations should be included in its 
educational plans. In fact every organization in 
the church, whether for young or for old, should 
have a place in the educational work and plan. 
There should be no duplication, and on the other 
hand the full needs of all groups should be provided 
for. The necessity of a comprehensive missionary 
plan for the whole church is thus seen. And this 
plan should be a part of the general educational 
plan for the whole church. 


Social Life in the Church 


What about the social life of the young people? 
This is a natural and proper expression of life, young 
and old. All phases of life ought to be touched 
by Christian influence, and all be so directed as to 
make their contribution to the development of a 
normal, symmetrical, and well-rounded Christian 
life and to the establishment and growth of the 
kingdom of God throughout the world. The social 
life of the church should be utilized toward the 
achieving of the purpose of the church. That pur- 
pose, as we have seen, is to make the world, the 
whole world, Christian. So that the social life of 
the church has relation to the church’s missionary 
plan, and should be so directed as a part of that plan 
that it may in some measure help in missionary 
education and service. This gives the social life 
of the church a positive meaning, instead of the 
negative one appearing in the preventive idea so 


144 Making a Missionary Church 


common in the minds of church-members in rela- 
tion to the church’s social activities. The sugges- 
tions given in the following paragraphs will indicate 
some of the ways that are open. 


Missions Must Not Be Lugged In 


But first let it be said with emphasis that mis- 
sions must not be “ lugged in.” An overenthusiastic 
member can do a good deal of damage by lack of 
tact. It will not do to bring missions into your 
social plans in such a way as to create a prejudice 
against the subject. It must be brought in naturally, 
in such form as fits the occasion and the partici- 
pants. This means careful planning, almost more 
careful planning than for any other missionary 
work. But nothing is so important as to capture 
the interest of the young people for the missionary 
enterprise, and it is worth any amount of thought 
and planning to accomplish this result. It should 
be observed, too, that what is done along missionary 
lines in connection with social occasions must be 
done from the inside, by those who are to partici- 
pate, not by the missionary committee or any other | 
group or individual officially related to missionary 
plans or work. Members of the committee will 
perhaps have to suggest plans, but they must do it 
informally and unofficially. The pastor, of course, 
can do most in this direction. 


Plays and Dramas 


Nothing is welcomed more in an entertainment 
than a good play. And it has the advantage of pro- 
viding plenty of fun for the participants at re- 


Young People and the Social Life 145 


hearsals. Why not occasionally use a play that has 
a missionary message? Of course you will not call 
it a missionary play. And perhaps there will be 
nothing in it that many would think of as mission- 
ary. Perhaps it will be a Japanese wedding. Or 
perhaps a sketch of Chinese life. Or it may be a 
very carefully selected presentation of immigrant 
characters (but no burlesque). These will help to 
interest participants and audience in people of 
other races, which is the basis of missions. On 
occasion a distinctively missionary play can be given, 
especially at a social or entertainment of the young 
people’s society. If a mission study class is holding 
sessions, let the members of the class present publicly 
at the end of their course, perhaps at some social 
gathering, a play dealing with the country or subject 
they have been studying. This will fix in their 
minds the things they have been reading and dis- 
cussing and will give a good excuse for the pres- 
entation of a missionary play. (See Chapter VII.) 
For more serious work a pageant can be given, 
with costumes and music. If well done nothing is 
more effective than this, though the number of avail- 
able missionary pageants is limited. 

Write to the mission board or literature head- 
quarters of your denomination for advice regard- 
ing plays and pageants. 


Foreign Games 


For children’s gatherings, when something new is 
wanted, introduce some games played by boys or 
girls in other countries. The children will welcome 
these as something novel and new. Some of the 


146 Making a Missionary Church 


games will appeal to them and will prove very 
interesting and amusing. Descriptions of foreign 
games can be found in “‘ The Chinese Boy and Girl,” 
by Headland, and “Children at Play in Many 
Lands,” by Katherine Hall. Or hunt up some fam- 
ilies of foreign birth in your community and get 
them to teach you some games. Perhaps you can 
induce some of them to come to your children’s 
party and teach the games to the children them- 
selves. That will be a good piece of missionary 
work and will put meaning into the games that you, 
as an American, cannot give them. 


Travel Talks 


Get hold of a Christian traveler and have him tell 
at a social some of his experiences in foreign coun- 
tries. Travel is so common now that it is not diffi- 
cult in a fair-sized place to find some one who has 
been in Japan or India or in South America or in 
the Near East. Only be sure he is a good speaker, 
an interesting story-teller. If he has had some un- 
usual adventures, so much the better. Perhaps you 
can secure a missionary for the occasion. Induce © 
him to leave out everything about his work for that 
night, and just tell some of the thousand and one 
unusual experiences that most missionaries can tell. 
Here again the caution, be sure you get an inter- 
esting talker. Some people have a lot of interesting 
experiences but cannot tell about them interest- 
ingly. You want to attract the hearers to the people 
and country about which he talks, so make certain 
the speaker can talk. Many missionaries have some 
thrilling adventures, or some ludicrous experiences, 


Young People and the Social Life 147 


which they will tell your young people if you 
urge them hard enough. Try it. 


Evenings with Foreign Nationalities 


Introduce to your members some of the foreign 
peoples represented in your own community. Have 
an Italian Night, a Polish Night, a Spanish Night, 
or a Swedish Night. Have a supper served in the 
native style, with waitresses in native costume. 
Then have an address, or one or two brief talks, by 
some one of the race represented, about the people, 
their customs, life, achievements, etc. Have plenty 
of singing, folk-songs and other selections, with 
instrumental music. An exhibit of pictures, either 
photographs or stereopticon views, will add to the 
interest. You will not have difficulty in getting the 
help of people of the nationality you are presenting, 
if you explain what you are trying to do. An en- 
tertainment like this will be quite a novelty and 
will be greatly enjoyed. As a social feature it will 
be a success, and at the same time it will make your 
members acquainted with some of the New Amer- 
icans in their midst and will bring the latter into 
touch with the church. 


Private Social Gatherings 


Many of the suggestions given above can be 
adapted to home gatherings and parties. Games, 
impersonations, playlets, music, can all bring in 
other nationalities, and besides being novel will 
teach a missionary lesson. You can introduce a 
novelty into your evenings with your friends by in- 


148 Making a Missionary Church 


viting them to a meal served in a foreign style, with 
foreign dishes and decorations. 

Do not overlook the value of picture post-cards. 
Some of the mission boards have very beautiful ones, 
hand-colored, representing scenes and life in mis- 
sion lands. Others can be secured in stores or from 
friends or elsewhere. They are fine for use in send- 
ing a'brief message, particularly a notice, and need 
not be limited to notices of missionary meetings. 
You can send them in private correspondence, and 
they can be used effectively by teachers in birthday 
congratulations, or by officers of societies in their 
brief communications. | 

These are but suggestions. Interest your social 
leaders in the missionary purpose of the church, 
and they will be able to suggest innumerable ways 
in which missions can be brought naturally into the 
social life of the young people and of the church. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


K.S. Hall, ‘‘ Children at Play in Many Lands.” Mis- 
sionary Education Movement. 175 cents. 

M. M. Russell, ‘‘ Dramatized Missionary Stories.” 
George H. Doran Co. $1.00. 

“Folk Songs of Many Peoples.” 

Elizabeth Wilson, “The Road Ahead.” The Wo- 
man’s Press. 50 cents. 

K. D. Hubbard, ‘‘ The Moffats.” Missionary Educa- 
tion Movement. 50 and 75 cents. 

F. G. Detweiler, ‘‘ Baptist Young People at Work.” 
The American Baptist Publication Society. 75 
cents. 


Young People and the Social Life 149 


‘The Book of the Camp Fire Girls.” 

“ Boy Scout Manual.” 

Margaret Applegarth, “Short Missionary Plays.” 
George H. Doran Co. $1.50. 

Margaret Applegarth, ‘‘ More Short Missionary 
Plays.” George H. Doran Co. $1.50. 

M. M. Russell, “ How to Produce Plays and Pag- 
eants.” George H. Doran Co. $1.50. 


IX 
KEEPING INFORMED 


A Continuous Education 


The emphasis is on “ keeping.” The process is 
a continuous one. No one ever becomes educated. 
Finishing-schools are a misnomer as far as educa- 
tion is concerned. You never complete your edu- 
cation. Most people continue to learn. They read, 
at least the newspapers and perhaps magazines and 
some books, they talk with others who know, and 
they do some thinking. Perhaps it is exaggeration 
to call this education; education is a more serious 
and systematic process. But it is at least learning, © 
and this we are all doing. We never learn all there 
is to learn. This is true even in the trade or busi- — 
ness or profession or occupation to which we may 
be devoting our lives. Some one is discovering 
something, or inventing something, or suggesting 
a new line of work, or describing what he has done, 
and if we are to be proficient we must keep in- 
formed. We feel the necessity of that, and we read 
books and take magazines and attend lectures in 
order to keep up in our line of work. And we 
think this important for our children, and we have 
books and other reading matter in our homes. 
Neither their education nor ours is ever ended. 
There is always a great deal to learn if we are to 
be anything like one hundred per cent. efficient in 
our work. 


150 


Keeping Informed 151 


Missionary Education a Continuous Process 


There is no difference when you come to the work 
of the church, local or missionary. We are not able 
to do our work as well as we ought to do it unless 
we are informed and keep informed. And there is 
a good deal to learn. If your church school in- 
cludes in its curriculum such missionary courses as 
we have mentioned, you have not learned all there 
is to learn about missions when you have com- 
pleted the school course. You have only laid the 
foundation for further study. The New Testament 
has a good deal more to teach you about missions, 
there are fascinating stories that you have not 
heard of adventure for Christ crowding the long 
centuries since Paul’s day, missionaries are con- 
stantly doing new things of which you have not 
read, the results of missions have been piling up 
in ways innumerable, and the meaning of it all to 
you in terms of prayer and money and service con- 
tinually needs reckoning anew. Clearly every- 
thing you learned yesterday about missions needs 
supplementing today. In fact a good deal has hap- 
pened since yesterday, and you must know about 
that if you are to be well fitted to take your part in 
the church’s greatest task. There are new stories 
of absorbing interest that the missionaries are 
telling, there are new lines of work far different 
from past methods, and whole peoples and civiliza- 
tions are being changed by what the missionaries 
are doing. Do you know about these things? Do 
the officers and the members of your church know 
about them? There are plenty of church-members 


152 Making a Missionary Church 





who do not know much more now about the great 
apostolic work of missions than they knew ten 
years ago. Or what they have learned is: very 
meager and fragmentary. But the missionary work 
of the church is too important to be the subject 
of hit-or-miss or occasional information. We must 
keep informed. 


Direction Needed 


There are plenty of people in the church who 
would like to know about missions who do not know 
where to find the information. And there are 
plenty of others who keep pretty well informed on 
some parts of the enterprise, but who are not in- 
formed at all on other parts. Some one who knows 
must teach them. This “ some one” is in most cases 
the pastor. Unfortunately there are some pastors 
who are not themselves keeping informed. Then 
few in the church get much information. Perhaps 
the missionary committee of the church has the — 
responsibilty under the pastor’s leadership. But 
at any rate some one must lead the church in the 
securing of information about missions. That one. 
must himself keep informed. He must educate 
himself systematically, and must have a systematic 
plan for informing the church. The general mis- 
sionary plan of the church must be kept in mind, 
and all he does must be in harmony with that plan. 
He must know how much the church or various 
members or groups know, and must supplement 
their knowledge. And he must know where to get 
hold of the information that will interest those who 
know practically nothing about the missionary en- 


Keeping Informed 153 


terprise. The one who does this has plenty to do, 
but he has a great opportunity. Nothing in the 
church offers greater possibilities in the lives of the 
members or in the work of the church than this 
task of directing the general education of the church 
in missionary knowledge. 


There Is Plenty of Missionary News 


The task of the pastor or missionary committee 
in keeping the church informed regarding the things 
of missions and the progress of the missionary en- — 
terprise, is one of organizing the material and of 
setting it before the different groups in the church 
in interesting form. There is no lack of missionary 
news. There are books amply interpreting the mis- 
sionary message of the New and Old Testaments, 
explanations of the new forms of missionary work 
are available, the modern problems of missions are 
given wide publicity, the results of missions are 
published fully and frequently, stories of missionary 
heroism and of native Christian loyalty are con- 
stantly being written, and every denomination is 
ready with the latest arguments on missionary ob- 
ligation and the needs of the work at home and 
abroad. There is plenty of news. Where to find 
it? Stories and incidents are to be found in folders 
published by the mission boards, in your denomina- 
tional missionary periodicals and in books of mis- 
sionary biography and missionary sketches. The 
results of mission work are in the reports and fold- 
ers of the societies and boards, and are given in a 
broader way in interdenominational periodicals. 
Notable is the series of articles on “‘ The Mission- 


154 Making a Missionary Church 


ary Significance of the Last Ten Years: A Survey,” 
in the quarterly numbers of The International Re- 
view of Missions for 1922 and 1923. The latter 
magazine presents the problems of modern missions, 
as do the annual reports of some of the mission 
boards and the adult study books published each 
year by the Missionary Education Movement. The 
missionary interpretation of the Bible is best out- 
lined in books, many excellent ones being now avail- 
able. If one has a plan and is on the lookout for 
missionary news, it is easy to find the material. 
Some mission boards have a subscription plan for 
new pamphlet literature, one annual payment of 
fifty cents or a dollar bringing to the subscriber a 
copy of every publication as issued. Political, social, 
and athletic news is plenty enough to fill a big news- 
paper every morning. And missionary news is just 
as plentiful if you look for it. eh 


The Church Calendar and Bulletin-board 


We have pointed out in Chapter VI the opportu- 
nity a minister has in his sermons to bring to his 
people news of the victorious fight the advance 
armies of the church are waging in missionary en- 
deavor against the forces of heathenism and irre- 
ligion. He can be a publicity agent for kingdom 
extension almost every Sunday if he is alert and 
tactful. But there is another possible means which 
in some ways is quite as valuable as his sermons. 
That is the church calendar and the church bulletin- 
board, to which may be added the literature table. 
See the advantage you have with the calendar: it is 
placed in the hands of the people every Sunday, 


Keeping Informed 155 


practically every one present reads every word of it, 
many copies are taken home for others to read, 
something different in the way of news can appear 
every week, and whatever is on the calendar has 
the stamp of the church’s approval. Almost any 
church that has a calendar can give space for a 
paragraph or a few lines with an item of news ora 
short missionary incident or some missionary facts 
or a strong missionary appeal. Some one on the 
church missionary committee should be delegated to 
provide the brief paragraph each week for the editor 
of the calendar. The items should be varied in 
character, all fields should be represented in turn— 
community, State, home, foreign—and they should 
be as well written as possible, every one with a 
“punch ” in it. Do not overlook the calendar as a 
publicity organ for missions and the kingdom of 
God. 

Not every church can afford to have a calendar, 
but every church can have a bulletin-board—not a 
fancy one nor elaborate, but a neat board, made 
without charge, perhaps, by a member of the church, 
or one of its friends. On this can be placed not 
only church notices but missionary posters, mis- 
sionary advertisements and appeals cut from the 
church papers, hand-made posters prepared by the 
young people, and similar material selected by the 
one made responsible for this. The board can be 
used effectively in advertising a new missionary 
folder or an interesting book by posting on it a copy 
of the folder or the jacket of the book, with a good 
striking line of advertising suggesting something 
interesting about it and telling from whom it can 


156 Making a Missionary Church 


be secured. Missionary pictures—good ones that 
tell their own story, not too many details, not too 
small—ought frequently to find a place on the bulle- 
tin-board. By cooperation with the editor of the 
calendar a line can occasionally or regularly appear 
in this, such as: “ See the bulletin-board today for 
—_____—”’: ““Do you know ‘about ——+——+?, | ‘See 
the bulletin-board ’”’; “‘ We welcome an African chief 
this morning. See the bulletin-board.” (Referring 
to a picture.) Or if there is no calendar the pastor 
can call attention to the special feature for the day. 
Be sure that a notice appears on the board like “ Do 
not place any notice on this board. Hand it to 
—_—_——.”’ Many church bulletin-boards are a dis- 
grace to the church. No one is in charge, they are 
a catch-all for notices and advertising of all sorts 
fastened up on the board in any old way, important 
things are left off, and unimportant things not at all 
related to the church are put on (and then often left ~ 
on until they are long out of date), and the fine 
opportunity which the bulletin-board offers for edu- 
cational publicity is entirely overlooked. One of the 
best ways of keeping the church informed on mis- 
sions is a regular, well-planned use of the bulletin- 
board. 


How to Use Missionary Pamphlets 


Churches make too little use of literature. Noth- 
ing can take the place of the spoken word, but the 
sermon or the personal appeal can be powerfully 
reenforced by a good piece of printed matter. Then 
too, folders and books can go where the spoken mes- 
sage is not heard. The fathers used “ tracts ” widely 


Keeping Informed 157 


and effectively. The day for that form of literature 
is past, but in better style, modern in appeal, attrac- 
tive in appearance, there is plenty of printed matter 
which can be used with great effectiveness. Every 
pastor and every missionary committee ought to 
keep themselves familiar with the missionary 
pamphlets issued by their mission boards. Various 
plans are followed in different denominations, and 
the pastor and other missionary ieaders should find 
out how to secure a copy of each publication. It 
must be admitted that most boards issue too many 
different pamphlets, and that some are not very 
attractive. They would do better to issue a smaller 
variety and to make them better in quality. Some 
publications the pastor and members of the mis- 
sionary committee will need to do little but glance 
at. But there are others of great importance, very 
attractive and very valuable, and these should 
receive careful attention. ‘Too few of these first- 
class pamphlets are used in many churches, and an 
important work for the missionary committee is to 
plan ways of circulating them among the different 
groups in the church. 

The most important thing is to have a definite 
plan in the distribution. Sometimes the literature 
may be placed in the pews at a Sunday service or 
handed to members of. the congregation as they leave. 
But either plan is ineffective and gives the impres- 
sion of little importance. The distribution should 
be very carefully planned to make the literature as 
effective as possible. Make every piece given out 
or sent out strike twelve. Do not distribute a quan- 
tity indiscriminately in the vague hope that some 


158 Making a Missionary Church > 


people may be influenced in some way in favor of 
missions. Decide just what you want to accomplish, 
select just the piece or pieces of literature you want, 
and then choose the most effective way of using that 
literature to accomplish your purpose. Have no hit- 
or-miss distribution. | 

An effective method is to send occasionally (the 
time or occasion being carefully chosen) a well- 
selected pamphlet or folder to every member of the 
church. This may be varied by sending to the 
men a folder specially fitted to them, another to the 
young people, etc. Or groups with particular inter- 
ests may be selected, teachers for example, and just 
the right piece of literature sent to them. A letter 
should accompany the pamphlet or folder, calling 
attention to some feature of it, and relating it to an 
item in the missionary program of the church. 
Generally this letter should be over the signature 
of the pastor; occasionally a valuable variation is 


a letter from one of the members of the church to ~ 


his fellow members. Cumulative effect can be had 
by sending a series of folders at regular intervals, 
the folders being all related to a definite theme, and. 
the distribution having a definite end in view. 


The Literature Table 


A literature table can be used very effectively if 
it is conducted according to a carefully prepared 
plan. Somewhere in every church there is space for 
such a table or a literature rack. There ought to 
be room in the vestibule. That is the best place. 
Perhaps there is a prominent corner in the rear of 
the church. Or some other place can be found. 


Keeping Informed 159 


Some churches make the mistake of having a large 
table; a small one is better. A large table has so 
much on it that people are not interested, the same 
literature is there most of the time, and the table 
easily gets mussy. A small table is not in the way, 
a place can be found for it more readily, only a few 
titles appear at a time, and it can be kept looking 
neat. The table should contain a supply of one or 
two good folders for use in evangelism, one or two 
good devotional folders or pamphlets for general use, 
and a few well-selected pieces of missionary litera- 
ture. Some one should be definitely in charge, and 
the table should not be allowed to become a place 
where any one or every one may display announce- 
ments of entertainments or advertise his pet scheme. 
It should be kept strictly for its real purpose asa part 
of the educational work of the church. It should be 
put in order before every service, and the mission- 
ary literature should be changed frequently, every 
two or three weeks. While only a few titles should 
be displayed at a time, there should be something 
for all classes in the church—a story, an illustrated 
folder describing some form or field of mission work, 
a general folder outlining the missionary program 
of the denomination or presenting a financial appeal. 
There should be something for the women, something 
for the men, and something for the children and 
young people. Those engaged in educational work 
should occasionally find on the table a description 
of a mission school, physicians and nurses should 
be attracted by a story of medical work once in a 
while, and other groups should be provided for in a 
similar way. Especially take advantage of current 


160 Making a Missionary Church 





events, or visits of special speakers, or themes pre- 
sented by the pastor in sermon or midweek address, 
or subjects considered in women’s society or young 
people’s society meetings, or lectures in town, or 
other timely happenings, and have on the table 
literature related in some way to these subjects. In 
other words, tie up missions to the things in which 
the various members of the church are interested. 
Keep the literature table up to date, and make it a 
center of interest for the whole church. A good 
book may be placed on the table occasionally, with 
the price marked and the name of the person to 
whom orders can be given. Call attention in the 
calendar or on the bulletin-board to special literature 
displayed on the literature table. In general the 
literature should be free, but as there are many 
folders and pamphlets which must be bought if they 
are to be had, the church or the woman’s society may 
well provide a small fund for this purpose, or a — 
small box can be placed on the table with some such - 
notice as: “‘ This literature is free to all. Take what 
you can use. The church pays for it, but if you want 
to help pay for what you take put the money in this 
box.” The literature table has unlimited possibili- 
ties; we have suggested only a few. 


Other Literature Plans 


A useful method of distributing pamphlet litera- 
ture to the women is by giving ten minutes at each 
meeting of the woman’s society to the woman re- 
sponsible for literature to describe one or two new 
publications. She should have copies at hand, and 
show a copy to the society, while she tells part of 


Keeping Informed 161 


the contents in such a way as to whet the appetite 
for more. If it isa priced folder, so much the better, 
as it will be appreciated more if it costs a little. 
Sales may be made immediately, or after the meet- 
ing. Ifa luncheon is held, a good piece of free litera- 
ture can be placed at each plate. Another way of 
advertising literature is by an interesting descrip- 
tion of one folder in the midweek service, copies 
being distributed or sold at the close. This is es- 
pecially effective if the pastor gives the description. 
An occasional distribution of an appropriate folder 
can be made with good results in the meeting of the 
brotherhood or men’s Bible class. Other plans will 
suggest themselves. The important thing is to have 
a plan, and to make that plan a part of the unified 
missionary plan of the church. 


Using Missionary Books 


Here is another field of missionary knowledge and 
inspiration whose possibilities are largely unrealized 
in most churches. Missionary books are of two 
classes, text-books and books for general reading. 
Many of the former may also be included in the 
second class as well. The use of study books is 
considered below (‘‘ Study Classes’’); we are in- 
terested here in the promotion of general missionary 
reading. There is an abundance of such books, 
adapted to all ages and all classes, books for chil- 
dren, for men, and for women. They deal with all 
fields of missions and with all phases of missionary 
work. Many of them are of thrilling interest. The 
question is, How to get them read? If you are pastor 
or a missionary leader, the first answer is, Get ac- 


162 Making a Missionary Church 


quainted with them yourself. You will not interest 
others in what does not interest you, and you cer- 
tainly cannot get others to read many books that you 
yourself do not know. So read missionary books to 
keep informed on what to recommend to others in 
the church. We have spoken (Chapter III) of the 
importance of a minister’s reading missionary books 
for training himself in his task of missionary leader- 
ship. But he should read books, or get acquainted 
with them in a general way, as a means of leading 
his church to read for themselves. Some member 
of the church missionary committee should also be 
charged with the responsibility of becoming familiar 
with the best books and of keeping informed on new 
publications. 

If some one is definitely responsible for getting 
books read, he will find ways of doing this. The 
easiest plan is to begin with the boys and girls. A 
good boys’ book, like “The Black-Bearded Bar- 
barian,” can be put into a boys’ class, and a good 
girls’ book like “* Ann of Ava” into a girls’ class, and 
be read and passed around from boy to boy or girl 
to girl, allowing the book to be kept a week. Stir 
up enthusiasm in the class over the reading. A con- 
test between classes may be helpful, with a prize, 
such as a picture or a curio, to the class reporting ~ 
the most readers in a given time. A Baptist school 
gave a Judson Centennial Medal to every boy and 
girl reading “‘ Ann of Ava” and “ Judson the Pio- 
neer.” In the young people’s society and the wo- 
man’s society the reading of a good book is often 
secured by showing a copy in a meeting, describing 
its contents and perhaps telling an incident from it— 


Keeping Informed 163 


leaving it unfinished, then getting orders for copies 
after the meeting or loaning the one copy to some 
one for a definite period, taking the names of others 
who want to read it in order. The same plan is 
occasionally followed in men’s clubs and classes. 
Probably no one else can do as much to secure the 
reading of missionary books as the pastor, within 
the limitations of time and other duties. One way 
in which he can do this is by describing and showing 
a good book in the midweek service, like the plan 
suggested for the young people’s society and wo- 
man’s society, recommending it to his people and 
saying that orders can be given to a member of the 
missionary committee whom he names. Many 
ministers do a work of immeasurable value by carry- 
ing an attractive book with them in their pastoral 
calls, and as they have opportunity showing it and 
recommending its reading. Others, without taking 
a book with them, mention it in the various homes 
they visit. So that it has been said of some minis- 
ters that their people always know what books they 
have been reading by the books they talk about in 
their pastoral calls. That makes pastoral calling 
count to a degree that in the case of many ministers 
is unthought of. Among the books a pastor recom- 
mends in this way, should be some well-chosen books 
on missions, suiting the book to those whom he visits, 
such a volume as “ The Social Aspects of Foreign 
Missions,” by Faunce, for men, or an exciting story 
like “ The Bells of the Blue Pagoda,” by Cochran, for 
young people. Many will read books recommended 
by their pastor when they would not respond to the 
suggestion of others. But this method of individual 


164 Making a Missionary Church 


enlistment in missionary reading can be worked 
with good results by others, and a member of the 
missionary committee of the church should be re- 
sponsible for getting books read, sometimes having 
some one other than himself promote the circulation 
and reading of a book in a particular group. Still 
another effective way of advertising missionary 
books is through the literature table and the calendar 
as described above. The important thing here is 
not to overwork the plan, and to make sure that in 
every case the book announced and exhibited is one 
of unusual interest and attractiveness. 


Missionary Reading-courses 


There is always more interest in any plan when a 
number take part in it. That is the value of the 
missionary reading-courses which are promoted by 
many denominations. A list is selected, or different 
lists for adults, young people, children, etc., and — 
points are given for the reading of each book, with. 
special recognition to the church or organization 
securing the most points. The reading-course is 
closely related to the subjects of mission study 
recommended by the mission boards of the denomi- 
nation, so that the reading has a definite aim, and 
the whole church can join in one plan and one inter- 
est. The church’s missionary plan should take this - 
denominational plan into consideration, but in any 
case the reading-course chosen should fit into the 
local church plan. If there is no such reading-course 
recommended by the denominational boards, the 
missionary committee of the church can make up its 
own course, or join with churches of other denomina- 


Keeping Informed 165 


tions in the community in a community-wide read- 
ing-course. The books should if possible be pur- 
chased by the church, or by organizations in the 
church, and kept in circulation by the missionary 
committee. The element of rivalry can be introduced 
by the formation of two or more reading-groups in 
the church or in the young people’s society or the 
woman’s society, with a contest between them to 
secure the most points. 


Using the Library 


The Sunday-school library used to be a great insti- 
tution. All the boys and girls, and many of the older 
members, took books out regularly. It was mostly 
a collection of stories and novels and other general 
books, usually not of very high grade. In towns and 
cities the public library has now mostly taken the 
place of the library of the Sunday school, though in 
smaller places this department of the school still has 
a place. 

If your school has a library, how many missionary 
books are in it? Are they being read? The Sunday- 
school library ought to contain some of the fine 
stories of missionary adventure, the biographies of 
the great pioneers, and other general books on mis- 
sions, including a few works of reference. If your 
school has no general library, the church or school 
should have one for missionary and educational pur- 
poses, containing, besides books for the help of 
teachers and other books on the Bible for general 
use, a good selection of missionary books. Of course, 
just having missionary books in the church library 
will not get them read, but they can be kept in cir- 


166 Making a Missionary Church 





culation by the missionary committee, and one mem- 
ber of the committee should be responsible to see 
that all the missionary books are constantly in ser- 
vice. They can not only be used in general reading 
but be made available for all who are taking part in 
missionary programs, or studying in mission-study 
classes, or serving as officers or leaders in mission- 
ary organizations. It is not necessary to have a 
large library, but it should be a good one, up-to-date 
and well cared for. Current missionary magazines 
can be kept on file, with occasional numbers of gen- 
eral magazines containing articles relating to life in 
mission lands or to missionary problems. Pamphlets 
published by the mission boards should also be filed 
in the library, for here is much of the special infor- 
mation needed for programs and classes. But great 
care should be taken to keep these up-to-date, sorting 
them and discarding old pamphlets frequently. 
Such a library every church can have. None is too 
small. The cost is very little. The essential is an. 
efficient librarian, interested in missions, and ener- 
getic and tactful in circulating the books, pamphlets, 
and magazines. The librarian may be a member of 
the missionary committee or some one else chosen by 
the committee. 

Not half as much use of the public library is made 
by most churches as ought to be made. Most libra- — 
ries contain some books on the Bible and religion, 
and would gladly respond to suggestions and requests 
for other books related to the work of the churches. 
What books does the library in your community 
contain that are related to missions? There may be 
some good ones, that some other more wide-awake 


Keeping Informed 167 


church has asked to have placed on the shelves. List 
these for recommendation to the folks in your 
church. And then add to the list books of travel or 
description, and stories of immigrant life. Perhaps 
you will find a good novel or two, also, with scene laid 
in a mission land, or in our own land in what is a 
mission field. Cultivate the public library as a means 
of missionary education. 


Missions in the Newspapers 


The daily newspaper is the most up-to-date mis- 
slonary magazine that is published. Most people 
read the news from the point of view of business, or 
politics, or just “ happenings.” But if you will think 
of it in its relation to the kingdom of God, you will 
find the newspaper tremendously suggestive. Pick 
up the morning paper, run your eye down the 
columns, and see how your thought is carried from 
country to country around the globe. Then ask 
yourself, What does this or that event mean for the 
kingdom of Christ, for the church, for me as a 
Christian? Look at it from this standpoint, and the 
daily news takes on a new interest and importance. 
You are studying the world history of the kingdom 
in its latest chapters. 

American newspapers have given more space to 
foreign news since the World War, though there is 
still vast room for improvement. Most papers give 
too little space to events outside the locality and the 
country, but you will find in almost any daily paper 
some of the larger events of the world’s life. Think 
of some familiar events in their relation to the 
kingdom of God and to missions: The Washing- 


168 Making a Missionary Church 


ton Conference; Japan had a leading part. What is 
it to mean to the kingdom and to the world that 
Japan is the leader of the Orient and is to be reck- 
oned with in all world plans? Is its influence to be 
Christian, heathen, or agnostic? In the face of the 
aggressiveness of the military party consider the 
significance of the prominence of Christian leaders, 
in parliament, in the navy, in education, in business. 
Consider the special features of missionary work in 
Japan. Are we doing our utmost, in proportion to 
what we are doing in other countries and in the 
methods we are employing, to make Japan’s impact 
upon the world’s life uplifting and Christian? The 
Washington Conference was a missionary event. 

The Near East is a perennial topic. But you can- 
not discuss it intelligently without a knowledge of 
the religious and missionary background. Why do 
the Turks persecute the Armenians? There are so- 
cial and political reasons, but the fundamental rea- 
son is religious. Who is James L. Barton, who has ~ 
figured continually with the diplomats? Head of 
the foreign mission society that has poured millions 
of money and hundreds of men and women into the 
Christianizing of the Near East. Consider the influ-— 
ence on the remaking of that part of the world that 
the Christian colleges are to have, as they have had 
in the past—Robert College, Beirut, and others. 
The whole problem in lands predominantly Moham- 
medan is primarily a religious one—that is, a mis- 
sionary one. 

The recent Pan-American Congress emphasized 
in our minds again our relation to the Latin-Ameri- 
can countries to the south. How do you think of that 


Keeping Informed 169 


relation? Asa political one? Or as a business one? 
But what about the religious side? What did the 
gathering of the American nations mean to the king- 
dom of God, to the Christianizing of Central and 
South America? What is our growing contact with 
these great neighbors to mean to that kingdom? In 
other words, what is the missionary significance? 
You need to be able to compare the religious history 
of those countries and our own to understand it fully. 
The meaning of political strength to the kingdom de- 
pends on the religious background. Study the Pan- 
American situation from this point of view. 
Illustrations like these can be multiplied from the 
newspapers every day. They tell of events that have 
a profound missionary significance. One important 
way of keeping informed is to read the newspaper 
with God’s missionary purpose in mind. Nothing is 
more interesting to all classes in the church than the 
interpretation of current events. Let the minister 
interpret them to his people frequently—from the 
missionary standpoint, of course, avoiding political 
entanglements. A discussion course on this subject 
in the church school of missions will attract many, 
particularly the men. Such a course is a fine study 
for men’s classes. Get the people in your church into 
the habit of reading the newspapers from the point 
of view of the kingdom. The result will be a broader 
and more intelligent Christianity, a new interest in 
missions, and an increased eagerness for service. 
The pastor can usually do most here, but if you can 
draft the right layman, intelligent, broad-minded, 
and earnestly Christian, it will be a fine thing to 
give him the responsibility of keeping before the 


170 Making a Missionary Church 





church in various ways and in various departments 
the missionary significance of current events. 


Mission Study Classes 


Besides the larger number who can be interested 
in the reading of missionary literature, there are 
some in every church who can be enlisted in the in- 
tensive study of some particular field or form of 
work for a limited period. These can be brought 
together in a mission-study class. The number of 
classes is steadily growing and the number engaged 
in study is increasing rapidly. Almost all denomina- 
tions are promoting the plan, and in some the num- 
ber of classes reaches into the thousands each year. 
Text-books are prepared and published cooperatively 
by many of the denominations, and others put out 
their own, all graded to different ages or sexes. 
Helps are provided by the mission boards, and man- 
uals for the teachers are available. It would seem 
that no church, large or small, need feel that a mis- 
sion-study class is impossible for them. A class does — 
not have to be large; in fact a large class is not so 
successful as a small one. Even four or five can 
make up a fine class. The missionary committee 
should include in their plans every year one or more 
classes. One can generally be formed in the young 
people’s society and one also in the woman’s society. | 
The men respond less readily, but the effort put forth 
to form a class or “ discussion group ” among them 
will yield large results. In smaller churches a gen- 
eral class is often all that is practicable. The class 
can be made a social feature that adds to its attrac- 
tiveness and value. In one village church the wife 


Keeping Informed Lire 


of the pastor organized a mission-study class whose 
meetings were the social feature of the whole village. 
A country pastor got his people together on Satur- 
day nights throughout the winter for informal study 
and a good time. Generally six or eight weeks should 

be the limit. Then start a new course if it seems 
' desirable to continue. But have a class each year, 
either in your own church or in cooperation with 
other churches as a community project. 


The Church School of Missions 


If there is encouragement and enthusiasm in the 
joint study of missions in class rather than sepa- 
rately, it is equally true that a number of classes 
make the study more interesting than having just 
one or two. If you can get a large number of the 
members of your church to join study classes, meet- 
ing on the same night at the church, and link these 
classes to other features of the church life, very much 
more is to be hoped from the study. That is what the 
church school of missions is and does. It is a group 
of study classes, organized according to a definite 
plan, all meeting at the same place (preferably the 
church) on the same night. Usually the night chosen 
is that of the midweek service, when more can usu- 
ally be brought out than on any other night. Where 
possible the evening begins with a supper, followed 
by the classes, then the prayer-meeting, shortened 
somewhat but intensified in interest by the prepara- 
tion the people have received in the study classes. 
The classes all begin on the same night and continue 
for the same number of weeks. The school should be 
thoroughly advertised, enthusiasm aroused among 


172 Making a Missionary Church 


the various groups—which should include the whole 
church—and all be made to feel that this is a church 
affair. Get the stewards or the deacons or the ses- 
sion to adopt the plan and recommend it to the 
church, so that it will be the church’s plan, not sim- 
ply that of the missionary committee. Nevertheless 
the committee will plan and direct it, for the respon- 
sibility for its success rests with them. No plan 
works itself. The pastor, of course, must be thor- 
oughly in sympathy with the school of missions if it 
is to be fully successful, and must talk it up and lead 
his people in this as in all other work. If thought 
wise, examinations may be given at the close of the 
course, and certificates granted to those successfully 
completing the work. See that teachers are secured 
well in advance, to allow time for full preparation, 
and if possible provide classes for different groups, 
for example, young people, women, and men; though 
in smaller churches naturally a smaller number of | 
classes is possible than in larger churches. Many | 
churches have two schools, one on home missions in 
the fall, one on foreign missions in the later winter. 
The advantages of the plan are its definiteness, the 
limited time for the course, the esprit de corps that 
results from enlisting the church as a whole in the 
study, and the holding of all classes on prayer-meet- 
ing night, which becomes “church night.” If a | 
supper is held, this introduces also a social feature 
which is valuable. The plan is being adopted WidEty 
with large success. 

Let this chapter end as it began: missionary edu- 
cation is a continuous process; we must keep cur- 
selves informed. 


Keeping Informed Lis 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


The denominational missionary magazine. 

The daily newspaper. 

“The Missionary Review of the World” (monthly). 
New York. $2.50. 

“The International Review of Missions” (quar- 
terly). New York. $2.50. 

“The Moslem World.” New York. $1.25. 

T. H. P. Sailer, ‘“‘ The Mission Study Class Leader.” 
Missionary Education Movement. 175 cents. 


Xx 
MISSIONARY ACTIVITIES 


The Educational Value of Activity 


This is not a theoretical question, but a very prac- 
~ tical one with which we are all familiar. The best 
way to learn to swim is to swim. You cannot learn 
carpentry from books but by using a hammer and 
a saw. If you hope to be a pianist you must work 
hard on the piano itself. Of course there are theo- 
retical studies that are necessary. Helpful articles 
on swimming are published in magazines, and books 
on carpentry and piano-playing are valuable. But 
if you really want to understand how to swim or 
how to play the piano you must actually swim or 
play. The same principle is being applied in all 
education, and pupils from earliest years are learn- 
ing by doing. 

It is not different in missions: all cannot be 
learned by reading or by listening. Missionary ac- 
tivity is needed. The ideal activity is mission work. 
itself. But any activity that helps the missionaries 
is valuable. You cannot build a missionary church 
with lectures and books. These are indispensable, 
but activity, service, is indispensable too. 


Service the Purpose of Education 


We are emphasizing today as never before that 
the purpose of education is service. We learn so as 
to be of use to others, to the world. This we surely 
174 


Missionary Activities 175 


must keep in mind in studying missions, the supreme 
example of Christian activity and service. The pur- 
pose of all our reading and discussion, of all the mis- 
sionary sermons and pictures and pamphlets and 
books, is to increase the amount and effectiveness of . 
actual missionary work. What we know of missions 
will not help to make the world Christian. But how 
we apply our knowledge, what actual missionary 
work we do in our community, how we help the mis- 
sionaries home and foreign in various ways, what 
money we give, and what prayer we offer, how much 
we stir up others to share likewise in the work the 
missionaries are doing—these will fulfil the purpose 
of our missionary education. That ought to be the » 
end and aim which we keep before ourselves as we 
store up missionary information, and the end and 
aim which the pastor and other church leaders hold 
before the church. 


Making Missions Real and Interesting 


There is nothing like having part in a thing to 
make it interesting. That is the way to make mis- 
sions interesting: be a missionary yourself right at ~ 
home, or share the work of the missionaries on the 
frontier or in the Orient by practical work for them, 
or help to interest others at home in what the mis- 
sionaries are doing. There is no way of enlisting 
the boys and girls in missions comparable to this. 
And older members find the same enjoyment in mis- 
sionary activity when the right things are suggested 
to them. Actually doing missionary work, actually 
making something for a missionary, or actually tak- 
ing part in a program makes missionary work real. 


f 


176 Making a Missionary Church 


It is no theoretical, far-away thing, but something 
tangible and intelligible, something interesting. 


Missionary Work in the Community 


Those who live in cities, and thousands of those 
who live in the country, have a mission field at their 
very doors. If it is an industrial community there 
are people from Southern and Eastern Europe, 
knowing nothing of true, vital Christianity. If it is 
an agricultural section there may be families from 
other parts of Europe, who have no personal experi- 
ence of Christ. In communities all along the Pacific 
Coast there are Japanese and Chinese, and in the 
South and in scores of the great cities of the North 
there are the Negroes. Plenty of Christian work is 
to be done among all of these. 

First of all there is the ministry of friendliness. 
The greatest longing and the greatest need of most» 
of the foreign people among us is simple friendliness. 
The mothers, who cannot get out much and do not 


have the opportunity of getting into American life © 


as much as their children or even their husbands, 
feel this with special keenness. There is no commu- 
nity where there are foreigners where friendly visit- 
ing in the homes is not possible. The women want 
to learn English. They will respond to suggestions 
regarding the care of their children. They will wel- 


come invitations for auto rides that will show them — 


the city where they live but which they have not 
seen, or that will take them out into the country and 


let them see the trees and the flowers and the grass. | 


Often you will find children who are musical, and 
music lessons will be a gladly welcomed expression 


CO EE a ae 


Missionary Activities L177 


of your friendliness. Sickness always gives a chance 
for friendly help. And somewhere in the developing 
friendship there is the opportunity to tell of the 
great Friend. There are many ways of reaching the 
children. A daily vacation Bible school during part 
of the summer is one. Help in studies or work is 
another. Some can be brought into the church 
school. And if you win the children you have a 
powerful opening wedge into the hearts of the 
parents. Christian Americanization work is possi- 
ble in any community where there are foreign homes. 
Christian friendliness is possible anywhere. Sus- 
picion may be met, and sometimes rebuff. There 
may be priestly opposition also. But much of this 
can be avoided or dispelled by tactfulness. Do not 
forget that Christ’s ministry was very largely taken 
up with acts of simple friendliness. That is Chris- 
tian service, true missionary work. 

Every church that can find a family of alien na- ‘x 
tionality or religion in the community or anywhere 
within reach has its opportunity of home mission 
work. A survey will generally be surprising. Often 
there are families, even in small places, that were 
unknown. Every church ought regularly to make a 
survey of its community, and from the standpoint 
of missionary service it is the first thing to do. Find 
out what foreign homes there are, and what na- 
tionalities and religions. Then arrange for quiet, 
tactful, friendly visiting. Do not try a big program 
at first, but choose one or two to do the simple work 
you decide upon. Later a small committee should 
have charge, either a subcommittee of the mission- 
ary committee or a separate committee whose chair- 


178 Making a Missionary Church 


man shall be a member ex-officio of the missionary 
committee. A complete program should gradually 
be evolved, which will include all ages in the church 
and school. The children should be enlisted as well 
asthe women. Certainly the men should be included. 
Friendly service from some of the business and pro- 
fessional men in the church will come as a peculiarly 
welcome change from the ordinary impersonal rela- 
tions they have had with the American men who are 
their employers. Your men may be met with sus- 
picion at first, and their approaches not understood, 
but persistent efforts to establish friendly relation- 
ships will meet with success and bring large reward. 
It is in part the indifference of American Christian 
men to the foreigners of their community that has 
driven many into the I. W. W. and similar revolu- 
tionary organizations. We ought not to admit to 
our country men and women from other lands, and 
then leave them without the best thing we can give 
them, true Christianity, simple Christian friendli- | 
ness. There is a large unoccupied field of service 
to these neighbors who have come from outside that 
ought to receive the eager attention of the churches. 
It is a real missionary service. | 

The same principles should be applied to service © 
for Negroes and Orientals. Wherever there are 
either of these in the community a way should be 
found to serve them in the Christian spirit. Racial 
antagonisms are looming large in these days, and 
grave danger stalks in such antagonisms. The only 
salvation lies in Christianity, as practised in Chris- 
tian service by the churches. This does not mean 
social or even economic equality. The solution of the 


Missionary Activities 179 


problem lies along the way of friendliness and co- 
operation, and every church can find that way. If 
there is a Negro church in the community, establish 
friendly relations with it. If there is none, see that 
religious opportunities are provided. Is anything 
being done for the Japanese? Or for the Chinese 
students? Remember the basic principle, friendli- 
ness in the name and spirit of Christ, and see that 
they feel the touch of your hand and heart. There 
is plenty of actual missionary work right at the 
doors of many churches, perhaps at those of your 
church. It is ashame and a disgrace for any church 
to be indifferent to these neighbors at home who 
need Christ. 


Getting Acquainted with Missionaries 


The missionary activities in the home church have _ 


a twofold objective: to make missions real and to /\ 


help in the missionary work itself. For either pur- 
pose the missionaries must be not “ missionaries ” 
in a vague, general sense, but concrete individuals, 
known by name, their faces familiar, some degree of 
acquaintanceship established. So it is important 
that as many members of the church as possible get 
acquainted with some missionaries. It is the ab- 
sence of the personal ties that makes missionary ac- 
tivities go haltingly in some churches. The pastor 
and other missionary leaders should make definite 
plans for cultivating such acquaintanceship con- 
tinually. Some definite suggestions are given else- 
where.t By all means know the missionaries of your 
denomination. 

1See Chapter XI. 


180 Making a Missionary Church 


Relieving Definite Needs 


The question of “specifics,” gifts for special ob- 
jects, is considered elsewhere.? Here we are con- 
sidering minor gifts, usually largely personal, in 
addition to the regular contributions of the members 
and of the church and its various departments. 
Almost all missionaries need articles of different 
kinds which are not provided for in regular appro- 
priations. Such things are typewriters, organs, 
victrolas and records, kindergarten materials, and 
similar things for use in the work. Then there are 
numerous gifts which are strictly personal, such 
as books, magazines, home decorations and conve- 
niences, etc. We do not refer to home mission bar- 
rels. The practise of sending these is fortunately 
growing less common, yet is widely prevalent. The 
missionary barrel is an insult to the missionary and 
a disgrace to the mission board. Boards ought to 
pay their representatives sufficient salaries so that 
they need not be dependent upon charity. But gifts — 
like those mentioned, for personal use or for mission 
work, are friendly gifts which greatly aid in the 
work. They need not be large nor many, but occa-. 
sional gifts of this sort by young people’s societies 
or the church itself help to make missions concrete 
and to make the donors feel they are taking part 
actually in the work. The danger to be guarded 
against very carefully is that offerings and funds 
that should be given to the support of the regular 
work be diverted to these special needs. Chapter 
XIII should be read in this connection. 

2See Chapter XIII, 


Missionary Activities 181 


White Cross Service 


We may mention also what is sometimes called 
“white cross”? work, the making of hospital sup- 
plies for the foreign field and the securing of articles 
needed in Christian social centers and other similar 
work in the home field. All sorts of supplies are 
needed, such as bandages, dressings, sheets, towels, 
etc., for hospitals, and almost everything from patch- 
work to bean-bags and soap for the home mission 
centers. Full information as to needs can be Se- 
cured from the mission board. These materials and 
supplies are easily made and cost little or nothing, 
and many can be enlisted in this form of missionary 
activity to their own profit as well as to that of the 
work. 


Pictures, Scrap-books, etc. 


What can the children do to help in the work of 
the missionaries? One way is to collect post-cards 
and other picture-cards. Almost every missionary 
likes to get these; many write a Scripture verse on 
them in the native language and give them out in 
Sunday school or homes, and the card preaches for 
them. Picture-cards used in school are always use- 
ful, and the children who give these of course make 
some sacrifice, which increases the value of their 
gift, to themselves as well as to the work. Scrap- 
books of pictures can also be made. These are the 
simplest suggestions for the children. Other plans 
for varying ages will suggest themselves, such as 
dressing dolls, making paper dolls, making simple 
games and puzzles, etc. 


182 Making a Missionary Church 


The Missionary Museum 


An extremely valuable piece of missionary activity 
is the building up of a missionary museum. This 
appeals especially to the older boys and girls, though 
all ages are interested and gladly help. The mis- 
sionary museum is something that is possible for all 
churches. It can be large or small, elaborate or sim- 
ple. But it is bound to be effective, whatever its 
form, stimulating missionary interest and educating 
the members of church and school. The collecting 
of articles for the museum interests those who par- 
ticipate in the peoples represented by the articles 
and in the work being done for them by the mis- 
sionaries, and both the collectors and those who see 
the things in the museum receive missionary infor- 
mation and education. The museum may be housed 
on shelves or in a cabinet, or a small room may be 
given to it. Some one appointed by the missionary 
committee should be in charge as director, and en- — 
couragement and help should be provided by the 
committee as needed; select some one to take charge 
who is interested and who will push the work of 
collecting materials. The director should read and 
otherwise be continually informing himself on the 
life of various peoples in whom the church is or might 
be interested, and on the methods of work of mis- 
sionaries. Both home and foreign missions should - 
be included in the scope of the museum. The direc- 
tor should make plans for developing the collection 
and enlist all classes in the school and all ages in 
the church. He will usually have no difficulty in 
securing a favorable response from all. 


Missionary Activities 183 


What should go into the museum? First of all, 
articles used by peoples of various countries and 
races, such as can be secured from missionaries and 
travelers—anything from wearing apparel and home 
furnishings to books and idols. Then models of 
houses, temples, agricultural implements, household 
utensils, chapels, etc.; these can be made by the boys 
and perhaps the girls, and the surest way of interest- 
ing them is by getting them to make things just 
like those actually used in mission lands. Photo- 
graphs should also have a place, and these can be 
secured in increasing numbers from missionary Visi- 
tors and correspondents. Maps, charts, and posters 
should be hung on the wall of the museum room, or, 
if only a cabinet is available, should be kept in a 
drawer or in a frame on the side of the cabinet, to 
be drawn upon as needed by teachers and program- 
makers. In fact the missionary museum should in- 
clude everything that is of interest in connection 
with mission lands, missionary work, or mission- 
aries, aS well as peoples among whom work is done 
in this country, the Indians, the Negroes, and the 
New Americans. All articles should be carefully 
labeled, and should be arranged systematically on 
the shelves. As it grows larger a card catalog should 
be prepared to assist in practical use. Churches 
which have a stereopticon can have this set up in 
the museum room when not in use elsewhere, to be 
utilized by mission-study classes, Sunday-school 
groups, church officers, and others, missionary pic- 
tures being thrown on the wall or screen across the 
room. 

Of what use is the museum in the developing of 


184 Making a Missionary Church 





a missionary church? First of all, it cannot fail to 
interest large numbers of the people. They will look 
at it again and again, with increasing profit. That 
is, if it is well located and well arranged, with the 
articles not crowded. Do not tuck it away in an 
obscure corner or lock it up in a room never used, 
and expect any one to see it or be interested. Put 
it where people can see it and arrange the articles 
so they can be seen well. Hold a missionary exhibit 
occasionally in the museum room or around the 
museum cabinet, on different subjects like “ Japan,” 
“ Boys and Girls of the Philippines,” ‘‘ Some New 
Americans,” “‘ The Near East,” etc. The curios, 
models, and photographs ought to be used as aids 
in connection with missionary education. ‘Teachers 
and superintendents can greatly increase the inter- 
est of their missionary teaching by showing some- 
thing from the museum by way of illustration. Or 
classes may visit the museum, to be instructed by 
their teachers and the museum director. In mission- 
study classes, missionary meetings, and missionary 
programs curios can be effectively used. The pastor 
can use them as the text of talks to the children. 
Numberless ways of making them effective helps in > 
the missionary education of young and old will sug- 
gest themselves. It is the business of the director 
of the museum to keep it before the attention of all 
the teachers and the leaders of all other organiza- 
tions, offering suggestions and in every way making 
his missionary museum as valuable and effective as 
possible. Its opportunities are untold. Care should 
be taken, however, to ‘avoid anything that may make 
foreign peoples appear ludicrous. 


Missionary Activities 185 





Maps, Posters, and Charts 


Missionary work for the members of the home 
church is needed badly, and the boys and girls and 
young people can find a fascinating form of mission- 
ary activity along this line by making posters, maps, 
and charts. Their ingenuity and originality can be 
put to full use in the designing of posters. These can 
always be used to advertise missionary meetings and 
programs, and will get people out when ordinary 
announcements fail. Posters make also a very effec- 
tive way of appealing for offerings, reminding the 
members of their pledges, advertising missionary 
books, and even calling people to prayer. There are 
large possibilities in the use of posters, and the best 
thing about them is that it is fun to make them. No 
difficulty is found in getting the young people to do 
the work, and they are learning and growing in mis- 
sionary interest themselves while they interest 
others. A contest in poster-making, followed by an 
exhibit and award of prizes, will stimulate interest. 

Maps and charts are always useful. Study classes 
need them, and hand-made ones are often better than 
those bought because of the reflexive value of the 
work put into them. The pastor can make good use 
of them, especially using charts to present in strik- 
ing ways some of the facts he wants to bring out in 
addresses. They add greatly to the interest and 
effectiveness of the missionary meetings of the young 
people’s society and the woman’s society. And like 
posters, they can be used in general ways, as on the 
church bulletin-board, to make a powerful appeal 
for missionary knowledge, gifts, and prayer. 


186 Making a Missionary Church 





Special Places of Service 


We have not spoken of the missionary activities 
of those holding official positions. Their work is 
covered in Chapters IV and VII. But the reflexive 
value of their activities should not be forgotten. 
There are many fine opportunities in every church 
to give young men and young women a permanent 
interest in this great missionary enterprise by 
placing them on missionary committees, or electing 
them to offices with missionary responsibility, or 
giving them special tasks such as are suggested in 
this chapter. Older members are often kept in 
office when they should give place to younger men 
or women in order to interest them: It is usually 
not wise to force the older office-holders out, but 
when an office becomes vacant or a place on the mis- 
sionary committee is open or some one is needed for 
some special task, an effort should be made to tie up 
to the work a new recruit, to enlarge the circle of 
active leaders in the world enterprise of the church. — 


Participating in Every-member Canvass 


A practical missionary activity in which the men 
of the church can be enlisted is the annual every- 
member canvass. They should be asked to partici- 
pate as a piece of service to the church and to Christ, 
and the missionary side should be strongly empha- 
sized. The current expense needs of the church are 
likely to be talked about more than the missionary 
needs; finance committees and trustees often do not 
recognize their responsibility for missionary funds 
as well as expense funds. In the training of the 


Missionary Activities 187 


canvassers, therefore, emphasis should be laid upon 
the missionary service they are rendering. This is 
a real and a very important missionary activity.® 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


W.N. Hutchins, “‘ Graded Social Service for the Sun- 
day School.”’ University of Chicago Press. $1.00. 

Gilbert Loveland, “ Training World Christians.” 
Methodist Book Con. $1.25. 

P. Roberts, “English for Coming Americans.” 
F’. H. Revell Co. 20 cents. 

M. C. Barnes, “ Neighboring New Americans.” 
F. H. Revell Co. 75 cents. 

C. A. Brooks, “ Christian Americanization.” Mis- 
sionary Education Movement. 50 and 75 cents. 
“A Christian Code for the City.”” Home Missions 

Council. 10 cents. 


=See Chapter XIII. 


XI 


THE MISSIONARIES AND THE 
MISSION BOARDS 


The Church and the IMaaaionarirs 


The missionaries are the representatives of the 
churches. Most churches could not support the mis- 
sionaries and their work at even a single station, so 
for the sake of efficiency and economy we have mis- 
sion boards to conduct our missionary work for us. 
But it is our work, the work of our own church, and 


the missionaries are ours, the representatives of our | } 
local church. We talk so much about “the board” \ 


and “ their missionaries,” and we ordinarily have so 
little contact with these men and women, that it is 
not very strongly settled in the consciousness of a 
great many members that every missionary of their 


——, 


denomination belongs to them, at least those whose - 


salaries are not paid by individual churches. The 
personal acquaintance which was emphasized in 
Chapter X is valuable in cultivating just this feel- 


ing of personal relationship and ownership which 


should exist between every church and the mission- 


aries of its denomination. Pastors can do much to_ 
establish this feeling of a direct relationship between ™ 


the church and its missionaries. Let it be remem- 
bered that the responsibility for the outreach of the 
church to lives and peoples not touched by Chris- 
tianity rests upon each church and every individual 


Christian. It does not belong to any board, save’as — 


188 





The Missionaries and the Mission Boards 189 





this is an agent of the churches. So that everything 
that can be done to emphasize and develop this per- 
sonal, direct relation to the missionaries, and the 
feeling of responsibility for them, should be encour- 
aged. 


Relation of Missionaries to the Church 


On the other hand missionaries should cultivate 
direct relations with local churches. They are ap- 
pointed by the board, and they receive their salary 
and the money for their equipment and work through 
the board, but they should look on the board as sim- 
ply the agent and representative of the churches and 
think of their ultimate responsibility as being to the 
churches. The more they can do, therefore, to de- 
velop personal ties to people in the churches, and to 
help churches to feel that they belong to them, the 
better for the missionary interest so indispensable 
to the support of the work to which they are giving 
their lives. The mission boards can help by instruct- 
ing their missionaries when they are appointed, and 
advising and directing them during their service on 
the field and on furlough. But the churches can also... 
develop the right attitude in the missionaries by de- — 
veloping the right attitude in themselves. For exam- 
ple, if they have young people looking forward to 
missionary service, they can show a deep, con- 
tinuous, personal interest in them and in their plans, 
and not discourage them as is so common by trying 
to make them think that their talents are needed 
more right at home. Enter heartily into their sacri- 
ficial plans. Enter heartily also into the experiences 
of the missionaries themselves. When missionaries 


190 Making a Missionary Church 


visit the church an enthusiastic, overflowing welcome 
will make them feel that they belong to the church 
and are not simply visitors. Expressions of inter- 
est, questions about their work, discussion of the 
church’s missionary plans with them, and a mutual 
comparison of problems will all help in creating and 
strengthening the feeling of mutual responsibility, 
the consciousness that each is the representative of 
the other. 


Making Missionaries Individual 


The first thing is to make the missionaries in- 


dividual men and women, with names and faces and ~ 


personal characteristics like other folks. To most 
people they are just “the missionaries,” a group, 
that could be described in a few very general terms, 
but without bringing up in the mind any particular 
persons. All the illustration and information sug- 
gested elsewhere in this volume is of value in in- 
dividualizing the missionaries. But there is more 
that can be done along this line. Pastors can help, 


greatly by frequent mention of definite missionaries. ~ 


Instead of quoting “a missionary,” mention him by 
name and give a word of characterization or descrip- 
tion of his surroundings. If you speak of a mission- | 
ary problem, describe some particular situation, 
naming the missionary or some missionary who 
might face such conditions as you describe. Teach- 
ers can show the picture of a missionary when they 
speak in their classes of mission work and of mis- 
sionaries. A missionary program can be enlivened, 
and much be done towards making missionaries real 
and individual, by impersonating definite missiona- 


The Missionaries and the Mission Boards 191 


ries or by giving descriptions of certain ones. 
Stereopticon pictures help also. 
But a more valuable way of individualizing the 


missionaries is by arranging for their visits to they 


church, planning such visits first of all to secure 
personal acquaintance. There are always foreign 
missionaries at home on furlough who can be 
brought to the church on a visit. Home missionaries 
at work near by can be invited occasionally, and 
others going to their fields or returning from them 
can stop over with the church. These visits can be 
arranged directly or with the mission board. Visit- 
ing missionaries should always have the opportunity 
to speak in public. That does not always mean a 
Sunday service, however, for many excellent mis- 
sionaries are but very ordinary speakers and only 
the best speakers should be asked to give their mes- 
sage at the Sunday-morning or evening service. 
This is for the sake of the missionary work, which 
should not be handicapped by being presented to 
people in a way that will not interest them. But 
there are plenty of other opportunities to introduce 
the missionary. There is the midweek service, the 
woman’s society meeting, the various departments of 
the church school, the young people’s society, the 
men’s club, etc. Find out to what group and to 
what kind of public service each missionary invited 
is fitted. Inquire of the mission board and of 
churches they have previously visited and give them 
the best opportunity for forming a favorable ac- 


quaintance. The most important thing to stress in , ; 


asking a missionary to speak is that he shall not 
preach, but tell about his work. Especially let him 


=~. 


192 Making a Missionary Church 


tell stories that illustrate concretely what he wants 
you to know. He cannot preach as well as the 


church’s pastor, but he has something to tell that > 


only he can tell. Insist that he tell this and leave the 
sermonizing to the pastor. In that way many very 
ordinary speakers can give a powerful message, just 
the message that is wanted. But notice that the 


thing especially to be aimed at is to form acquain- ’. 


tance. Very seldom, therefore, invite a missionary 
just for a single service. Keep him with you for a 
few days. Let him get acquainted with as many as 
possible. See that he is invited to some of the homes 
for a meal. If there is a social occasion in the church 
have him there, or make such an occasion. Cultivate 
personal relations with missionaries continually in 
this way. There will be large reward in definiteness 
of interest and missionary enthusiasm. 


Keeping in Touch with Missionaries 


Another way to cultivate acquaintance with mis- 


sionaries aS individual persons, known as we nels 
e 


others, is by correspondence, especially with thos 

who have visited the church. This can very readily 
be worked up, especially among the young people. 
Ask definite persons to write to definite missionaries. 
You will need to use care in selecting the missiona- 
ries whom you seek to introduce, suiting the mission- 


ary and the member to each other. Moreover, some . 


missionaries give more attention to letter-writing 
than others, and these should be discovered and in- 


cluded in the church’s acquaintance. One mission- | 


ary who has been a missionary for over forty years 
corresponds with scores of young people, to their 


: 
, 
: 


The Missionaries and the Mission Boards 193 


great delight. Of course both home and foreign 
workers should be in this circle of letter-acquain- 
tance. This plan needs to be followed up continually 
by the missionary committee, but it should not be 
emphasized to the exclusion of other acquaintance 
plans, like personal visits. 

Ask missionaries to send snap-shots showing their 
life and work. Send the money once in a while to 
pay for the pictures. Photographs can sometimes 
be secured from the mission board. Half-tones can 
be cut from the missionary magazines and mounted 
on cards or pasted on photo mounts. An exhibit of 
pictures showing the home and work of a mission- 
ary who is to visit the church is a fine introduction 
for him. Or such an exhibit can be given relating to 
a visitor recently with the church, which will help 
to keep up the acquaintance. These exhibits can be 
arranged in connection with the missionary museum. 
You can also remind people of missionaries who have 
visited the church by calling attention on the bulle- 
tin-board or in the calendar to articles about them 
or by them in the missionary magazines. 


The Church’s Own Missionary 
Larger churches often have their own missionary, 


at least to the extent of paying his salary. The great / 
advantage of this plan is the feeling of definite in- | 


terest and responsibility which it creates. It gives 
a point of contact with “ missions ” and “ missiona- 
ries,” and makes these terms concrete and personal. 
In some denominations this arrangement has spread 
rapidly among the larger churches as the advantages 
have become known. The result of its adoption is 


pe 


194, Making a Missionary Church 


usually a very great increase in missionary interest 
and a corresponding increase in the amount of money 
contributed. The author went to China as the mis- 
sionary pastor of one of the churches at home, and 
immediately there was a quadrupling of missionary 
offerings. A steady and rapid growth followed, and 
now the church has six missionaries at home and 
abroad. That is a common experience. Inquiry of 
the mission board will bring information as to con- 
ditions involved in the plan, and names of available 
missionaries. 

It is the business of pastor and missionary com- 
mittee to keep the church informed about their mis- 
sionary and in every way to make them feel that they 
are continually interested in him. His name should 
appear on the church calendar. He should very 
often be mentioned in the pastor’s prayer and those 
of the superintendents of the Bible school and its 
departments. A map of the world should hang in a 
prominent place showing the location of the mission- 
ary station. A ribbon stretching from his station — 
to the place of the home church helps to make the 
connection real. A flag of the country where your 
missionary is working, crossed with that of our own, 
is effective. His portrait should hang on the wall, 
and photographs showing his home, his life, and his 
work should be exhibited. These should be changed 
from time to time, attention being called to the new | 
pictures. A regular correspondence should be kept 
up with your missionary, different members being 
asked to write him each month. Some will write on 
their own initiative, but the missionary committee 
should keep track of the correspondence, to see that 


The Missionaries and the Mission Boards 195 





it is carried on regularly as suggested. A Christmas 
gift and a shower of birthday greetings will be de- 
lightful proofs to your missionary that he is not 
forgotten. Many other plans will suggest them- 
selves. Enlist the young people and the children. 
There is danger that after the missionary has been 
gone a few years he will gradually be forgotten, and 
the relationship become merely a formal one, unless 
it is fostered and encouraged. New plans are needed 
frequently, and every effort should be made to keep 
the relations between the home church and the mis- 
sionary warm and close. 

Then when furlough comes there should be a great 
welcome home. A good visit of several weeks should 
be arranged for, or preferably several shorter visits. 
Enough time should be given to allow everybody in 
the church to get thoroughly acquainted with their 
representative. Entertain him in the homes of the 
members, give him a reception, have him speak fre- 
quently to different organizations. In every possi- 
ble way utilize his furlough to strengthen and deepen 
the acquaintance and love between him and the 
church. 

But most churches are too small to pay the entire 
salary of a missionary. Some are in small towns. 
Some are in the country. How can they have the 
benefits of having their own missionary? By join- 
ing with other churches and having a missionary 
together as a group. The churches of an Associa- 
tion or a conference or a presbytery or a county can 
have their own missionary. A special committee of 
the group is needed, to see that plans like those sug- 
gested above are carried out in the different 


196 Making a Missionary Church 


churches, and to be a medium of communication be- 
tween the churches and the mission board. A group 
of country churches can follow this plan, having 
their group missionary even when there is a city 
church in the Association or conference supporting 
its own missionary. 


The Missionary or the Mission 


There is one disadvantage in the plan of having 
the church’s own missionary, and that is that the 
missionary may resign his work and the interest of 
the church be dulled by the loss of the personal rela- 
tionship. The immediate way out of this difficulty 
when it arises is to secure a new missionary without 
delay, having him visit the church and become ac- 
quainted, just as a new pastor would take the place 
of a former one. It helps in establishing the new 
relationship if the former missionary can introduce 
his successor, either in person or by letter. Buta 
better way to avoid the difficulty occasioned by a 
change in missionary representatives is to stress the | 
mission as well as the missionary. In place of talk- 
ing always of “ our missionary ” speak of ‘‘ our mis- 
sion.” Emphasize the work, the local church, the 
preacher, and the evangelists, learn the problems of 
the churches in your mission field, get pictures show- 
ing the mission work, and in every way see that your 
church gets acquainted with the mission as well as » 
with the missionary. Then if the church changes 
missionaries it will not find that its interest has been 
only personal, but that the needs and problems of the 
work itself have gripped them and a permanent mis- 
sionary interest has been built into the church’s life. 


The Missionaries and the Mission Boards 197 


On the other hand, if another missionary is chosen 
in another country, the personal tie will prevent 
loss of interest in the transfer of relationship to a 
new mission. If the missionary is not succeeded by 
another, a foundation has been laid for permanent 
missionary interest that will be definite and concrete. 


Knowing the Mission Boards 


It is well to know about the missionaries and to be 
acquainted with some of them. But church-members 
ought also to know the denominational leaders, their 
policies and their methods. Where are the offices 
of the various mission boards of your denomination? 
Who are the secretaries, and what is the particular 
work of each? How are the boards constituted, who 
compose them, and what sort of men and women are 
they? What is the occupation of each, that is, what 
is the special contribution of each, in training and 
experience, to their work as members of the board? 
How are the boards organized? Do any members 
live near you? Knowledge of the boards such as 
these questions suggest makes them more than sim- 
ply “ boards,” makes them living men and women. 
It increases interest in the work for which they are 
responsible. It gives confidence in their ability and 
wisdom. It makes for loyalty to their suggestions 
and programs. The annual reports of the mission 
boards or societies should be familiar to every pastor. 
Copies should be on his desk and be consulted freely. 
The chairman of the missionary committee should 
have copies also, and refer to them often. Reports 
have a reputation for being dull, but there are mis- 
sionary reports that are thrilling in their interest. 


198 Making a Missionary Church 


Knowledge of the mission boards can be utilized 
to increase the missionary interest in the church. 
The educational plan of the church should include 
instruction regarding the boards and the secretaries 
quite as much as regarding the missionaries. For 
both are engaged in the same missionary work. 
Missionary secretaries are as truly missionaries as 
a worker in a far outpost,in Central Africa, and both 
are essential to the accomplishment of the work. To 
be familiar with the work of the boards and to know 
their methods and their personnel helps to make the 
missionary work seem “ our work” instead of “ the 
work of the board.” One can pray more intelligently 
and give more willingly if one knows those who are 
administering the work and the funds. After all, 
the boards and their officers are only servants of the 
churches, representatives of the members as the 
missionaries are. | 

So every possible effort should be made to acquaint 
the church with all the mission boards of the denomi- — 
nation. A course in the curriculum of the Sunday. 
school, or of the church school of missions, on “‘ How 
Our Missionary Work is Administered,” will prove 
illuminating and will appeal to the business men of 
the church. An occasional address in the midweek 
service by the pastor, explaining some of the prob- 
lems the boards are facing, can be followed by a call 
for prayer for the board members and its officers © 
that will bring a good response. A chart showing 
the organization of the denomination and its boards 
may well be a part of the missionary exhibit. The 
missionary library should always have on file copies 
of the denominational reports and other handbooks, 


The Missionaries and the Mission Boards 199 


and the librarian should have such familiarity with 
the boards and their organizations that he can an- 
swer questions and direct to sources of information. 
Once in a while one of the board secretaries can visit 
the church. Occasionally get a member of the board 
to come; he will speak from a different point of view 
from the secretaries and a very valuable one; some- 
times critical church-members will listen to a mem- 
ber of the board, as one of themselves, when the 
words of a paid officer would not be accepted. In 
these and other ways make the church as familiar 
as possible with the mission boards and their 
workings. 


Criticisms of the Board 


Most adverse criticisms are due largely to lack of 
knowledge. This is true of much of the criticism 
you hear from time to time of the church’s mission 
boards and societies. If those who criticize knew 
both sides or all sides of a question in which the 
board’s action is involved they would often recognize 
the reasonableness of the board’s decision and plan. 
And if they know who make up the board, what kind 
of men they are and what they have done in life, 
those who are tempted to criticize are likely to feel 
that the board members are men and women of 
judgment and perhaps have some good ground for 
what they have done. Hence the value of getting 
acquainted with the boards of the denomination. 

A perennial criticism one hears is the high cost 
of administration. It sometimes takes the familiar 
form, “ It takes a dollar to send a dollar.” There are 
two difficulties with this statement: the first is that 


200 Making a Missionary Church 


it is ridiculously false, the second is that money is 
not sent but the gospel. Of course there is no excuse 
for extravagance anywhere, in one’s private busi- 
ness or one’s home, or in the business of the church 
and of the kingdom. And the more that can be saved 
in the work of informing and stimulating the church 
at home, the more there is available for the distribu- 
tion of Bibles on the frontier or paying the salaries 
of preachers in India. But this expense at home, 
what is commonly called the cost of administration, 
is not high as compared with the proportion of cost 


in most lines of business, or the cost of collecting . 


money for charity or other organizations. The per- 
centage runs in general from eight to fifteen per 
cent., varying according to what is included in ad- 
ministrative expense, or the proportion of adminis- 
tration conducted from America in the case of for- 
elgn missions, or the payment of some expenses from 
special funds or by special personal gift. But the 
fact is, practically all missionary work is administra- 


tion and practically all administration is missionary — 


work. Most foreign missionaries do comparatively 
little preaching; the bulk of their work is training 
native preachers, directing their work, superintend- 
ing schools and teachers, studying the problems of 
the native Christians and their churches, meeting 
with committees of the mission, overseeing the erec- 


tion of mission buildings, keeping mission accounts, — 


and conducting a voluminous correspondence with 
the board and with the churches at home. All this 
of course is missionary work. But how does it differ 
from what the secretaries and their assistants are 
doing at home? The difficulty of determining just 


he a 


The Missionaries and the Mission Boards 201 


what should be called administrative expenses ap- 
pears when you discover that one denomination di- 
rects all its foreign mission work from the office of 
the board in America, a second has a bishop on the 
field who has the direction of the work, a third leaves 
practically the whole administration of the mission 
to the missionaries and the native associates. 
Another illustration of this same difficulty is the 
inclusion in the expense of missionary work of the 
salaries of the missionaries while on the field and 
the including of their salaries in home expense while 
on furlough. Manifestly there is no agreement on 
what is administration and what is missionary work. 
As a matter of fact it makes no difference what pro- 
portion is spent for one part of the work or for 
another part, so long as the evangelization and 
Christianization of the world is effected in the larg- 
est measure. We do not send money to the heathen, 
we send the gospel, and the question is, not how little 
money we can spend in this country but how strong 
and effective we can make the impact of the Chris- 
tian forces at our disposal on the life we want to 
reach with Christianity. The end in view is the prin- 
cipal thing, not the details of method or expenditure. 
There is no criticism of missionary policies and 
methods that needs clearer elucidating than this, and 
pastors can greatly aid, not by joining in the criti- 
cism, but by securing the facts from the board and 
passing them on to the church. 

Another criticism is the supposed overlordship of 
the boards. “ They want to run our church and tell 
us what to do.” Of course they don’t want to do 
anything of the kind. When a criticism like this is 


202 Making a Missionary Church 





given it is usually due to reading into a communica- 
tion what is not there, or taking an ambiguous state- 
ment in the worse of two ways. The boards realize 
that they are the agents of the churches and that 
the money they have must come from the churches. 
Manifestly they will not intentionally antagonize the 
churches. But on the other hand they also realize 
that they have the duty and responsibility. of point- 
ing out to the churches the needs of the work for 
which they have been made responsible, and of mak- 
ing suggestions as to how best the churches can 
cooperate. They understand that all their sugges- 
tions may not be practicable, and that none of the 
plans they propose can be worked everywhere, with- 
out modification. But they offer their suggestions 
to aid the pastors and the churches, with the under- 
standing that they may need change or adjustment 
according to local needs. And they urge most 
strongly and earnestly the cooperation of the 
churches in the suggested plans, so far as possible. 
Cooperation is necessary to success, and the boards 
would be failing in their duty if they did not keep 
before the churches the needs and possibilities of the 
work the churches have committed to them. But 
they have no desire to “ run ” the churches. . 

So with other criticisms of the boards. Get the 
facts, and see that the members of your church have 
them. And always have an attitude of sympathy and - 
cooperation toward the boards and their problems. 


The Problems of the Mission Boards 


{t helps very much in developing the spirit of sym- 
pathetic cooperation that is necessary in developing 


The Missionaries and the Mission Boards 203 


i 
an intelligent, thoroughly efficient missionary \ 


church, if we understand and appreciate some of 
the problems which face the mission boards. And 
they are many. (1) One is the ever-present finan- ™ 
cial problem. There are pathetic calls for reenforce- 
ments for sorely overburdened workers; there are 
whole villages asking for teachers and preachers who 
cannot be sent; there are opportunities for schools, 
and needs for hospitals, for which there is no money 
available; there are Christians who have not been 
visited in years, and whole sections that the mis- 
sionaries have never visited; there are unsanitary 
shacks occupied by missionaries which should be 
replaced by real homes to conserve the health of the 
workers; there are great territories where Christ 
has not been preached. What would you do if these 
appeals came to you as a member of the board to 
which the church has given the responsibility for 
that work? You would figure and plan, and cut here 
and adjust there, and then you would appeal with 
all your vigor and earnestness and persistence for 
larger offerings, just as the boards do now. 

The fact is, we do not appreciate what the finan- 
cial problems of the boards mean. They mean just 
these things we have mentioned. We who give our 
money for missions think of it very often as just so 
much cash. The board members reckon dollars in 
terms of lives saved in hospitals, villages visited by 
missionaries, churches organized for the spread of 
Christian life, Christless souls won to the Saviour. 
No wonder the board is persistent in its appeals for 
funds. Stand where you can see what they see, and 
you will feel the tremendous urge they feel. The 


204 Making a Missionary Church 


financial problem is a tremendous one, for humanly 
speaking everything depends on it. Read the finan- 
cial appeals and suggestions which come from the 
boards in the light of this and other problems and 
opportunities they face, and you will not criticize but 
sympathize. 

When this great problem has been mentioned 
scarcely a beginning has been made on the problems 
of the mission boards. The list is a long one. We 
can only catalog a few. (2) How to do what the 
board clearly sees needs to be done without alienating 
those who are inclined to be critical. It is very often 
impossible to go ahead as fast or as soon as they 
should because of the importance of keeping the con- 
stituency united. (8) The selection of new mission- 
ary appointees. Only the best available can be sent; 
considering the many needs and the qualifications 
of the men or women applying, which should be 
chosen? (4) The most statesmanlike development 
of the work in various fields. All sorts of questions 
arise. Which stations give most promise? What 
forms of work are most needed? What changes in 
policy or organization would best meet changing 
conditions? (5) Relations with missions of other 
denominations. Fields overlap, adjoining sections 
are untouched; friction has developed locally, united 
effort might strengthen the Christian impact; many 
questions arise calling for Christian courtesy, for- . 
bearance, and statesmanship. (6) Personal ques- 
tions. Missionaries do not always get along well 
together—how can their relations be adjusted so as 
to maintain harmony and secure the greatest effi- 
ciency in the work? Missionaries prove unsuccess- 


The Missionaries and the Mission Boards 205 


ful—how close their service without doing injustice 
to them and arousing loud opposition from their 
friends? The boards face hundreds of such ques- 
tions every month. Not one in a hundred of their 
constituency knows of these problems. If the mem- 
bers of the churches could appreciate some of them, 
have them explained to them, and be brought into 
sympathy with the difficulties the boards have to 
solve, their interest and cooperation would be very 
greatly increased. 


Making Use of the Boards 


There are helps of all sorts being provided by the 
boards continually for developing a missionary 
church, but few churches make as full use of the 
facilities offered to them as they might. Some real- 
ize, however, that an answer to almost every kind of 
question relating to plans of their church can be had 
from the home or foreign mission board. An in- 
creasing number are writing to headquarters for 
information about various forms of work, different 
stations and missionaries. Most of this information 
is in printed form, folders, pamphlets, books, and 
pictures. Smaller publications are free, larger ones 
have a small price to help pay cost of printing. 
Books are often in paper as well as cloth binding 
and are sold as cheaply as possible. Every one 
should have the latest catalog of literature carried by 
the mission boards and keep informed on the latest 
publications. 

Another form of correspondence is more general: 
“ What suggestions can you give me for a program 
on kindergarten work in Japan?” ‘“TI/‘am to take 


206 Making a Missionary Church 


part in a debate on the relative importance of medi- 
eal and educational work; can you tell me where I 
can get information?” Such questions call for 
thought and research, and some boards have a sec- 
retary or assistant whose main business is to answer 
just such general questions, passing on to others the 
successful plans reported from some churches, mak- 
ing suggestions for programs and methods, and 
giving to correspondents the information they seek. 
If you are to have a part in a missionary program, 
or if you are an officer of a missionary society, or.a 
member of a missionary committee, or a teacher in 
the church school, or leader of a boys’ club, or 
superintendent of the church school, or a deacon or 
elder, or.pastor of the church, write to the mission- 
ary and educational boards of your denomination 
for suggestions. | 

Still another form of help provided by the boards 
is the furnishing of missionary speakers. Some 
churches call often, but there are a great many 
churches where a missionary or a missionary secre-. 
tary or other board representative is never seen or 
heard. Particularly is this true of smaller churches, 
and those off the main lines of travel. Such churches 
ought to appeal to the boards for speakers once in 
a while, arranging perhaps an itinerary among the 
smaller churches. For local speakers, e. g., laymen, 
women, or pastors, the boards are ready to supply - 
help in the latest facts, suggestions as to points to 
be emphasized, and in some cases outlines of brief 
addresses. Cultivate relations with the boards and 
the secretaries and many lines of helpfulness will 
open from them to you and your church. 


The Missionaries and the Mission Boards 207 





Denominational Meetings 


The boards and their officers are continually ar- 
ranging conferences, rallies, conventions, institutes, 
and other group meetings to help the churches in 
realizing and fulfilling their missionary task. The 
best speakers are provided, the latest literature is 
distributed, the plans that have proved most effective 
are explained, and long and careful thought is given 
to making the meeting as informing and stimulating 
as possible. Unfortunately it very often happens 
that many churches are not represented, and that 
those who most need the help are not present. Of 
course some are not present because they are not 
interested. But other churches are not represented 
because the pastor or missionary committee do not 
realize the great help to be gained by attendance. 
Of course there are plenty of reasons to keep them 
away—business, study, etc.—but it is a serious mis- 
take not to be present or have the church represented 
by some strong leaders. In the first place, one gets 
acquainted with the denominational leaders, the 
board secretaries, and the missionaries. In the 
second place, the denominational plans are explained, 
and difficulties and objections are ironed out. In the 
third place, the practical suggestions are brought 
out which every church needs in order to make its 
missionary work up-to-date, fresh, and interesting. 
And lastly, the addresses and discussions stimulate 
to new endeavor by revealing what other churches 
are doing—perhaps some neighbors of your church 
—and by showing the opportunities of service and 
the resources of God. By all argument it is worth 


208 Making a Missionary Church 





while for your church to be well represented at such 
meetings. The pastor ought to attend unless it is 
a conference for a special group—but do not expect 
him to pay his expenses out of his own pocket. See 
that it is taken care of by the church; the expendi- 
ture will more than come back. The chairman and 
other members of the missionary committee should 
attend. See that other leaders are present, like the 
Sunday-school superintendent, the deacons or trus- 
tees or elders. Especially make the effort to have 
leading laymen go to such meetings, or if it is a 
women’s gathering see that some capable women 
who are not active in the missionary society are sent, 
including some of the younger women. Too often 
churches appoint as delegates any who happen to be 
going, or those who always go, or those whose names 
first come to mind. On the contrary, most careful 
thought should be given to the choice of representa- 
tives, to secure those who on their return will be 
able to contribute most to the work of the church. If 
care like this is taken in choosing delegates, it is — 
often possible to induce some to go who would not 
think it important if the ordinary careless method 
of appointment is followed. What is true of special 
institutes and conventions is true also of official 
denominational gatherings. So far as denomina- 
tional organization permits, every church should 
have members present, in order to have first-hand 
knowledge of the workings of the denomination and 
its missionary boards and to have a voice, as far 
as possible, in determining their policy. Careful 
attention to representation at denominational meet- 
ings will bring large returns. 


The Missionaries and the Mission Boards 209 





The Denominational Program First 


Loyalty to one’s own denomination and its pro- 
gram is the best assurance of loyalty to the great 
cause of Christ everywhere. Denominational di- 
visiveness is not such an ominous problem as some 
think. Almost all denominations are coming to have 
close relations with one another in conferences and 
increasingly in actual work. This is particularly 
true of missionary work, both at home and in the 
foreign field. Home mission boards are federated 
in the Home Missions Council and the Council of 
Women for Home Missions, and foreign mission 
boards are united in the Foreign Missions Confer- 
ence of North America and the Federation of Wo- 
men’s Boards of Foreign Missions, and plans and 
programs are largely made in common. So that in 
being loyal to one’s own denominational program one 
is not disloyal to the larger program of the church as 
a whole. No chain is stronger than its weakest link, 
and the strength and effectiveness of this united 
program of the church depends on the strength of 
the programs of the several denominations. How 
effective your denominational program is depends 
on the strength of the support given by the churches 
of the denomination. In earlier chapters we have 
laid emphasis on having a missionary program in 
the church suited to the church’s needs and interests. 
What we are now saying about the loyalty a church 
should show to the program of the denomination is 
not out of harmony with that emphasis. No pro- 
gram for a whole denomination, with hundreds or 
thousands of churches, in cities and the open coun- 


210 Making a Missionary Church 


try, in East and West, can fit into the life of all the 
churches in all its details. Some of the details need 
to be modified to suit local conditions; some have to 
be given more importance than the plan calls for, 
others less. But the main objectives of the program 
can be adopted by every church throughout the de- 
nomination. These should be a part of the mission- 
ary plan of the church; the details also should be 
followed so far'as possible, though as suggested 
some modification not affecting the main objectives 
may be wise. 

The difficulty with many programs set forth by 
the denominational bodies is that they are too often 
concerned with immediate results, to the exclusion 
of education for the future. Most boards make their 
work of securing funds far more difficult than it 
should be by working for the money needed this year 
or during this set period, without at the same time 
laying a strong foundation for the work of next year 
or the next period. It is natural that the great sums 
of money needed should loom so large that the task . 
of getting them becomes the big, all-absorbing ob- 
jective. But the getting of the money will be a 
vastly easier matter when all boards realize, as some 
do, the importance of knowledge as a basis for 
giving, and lay more emphasis on missionary infor- 
mation and education in their denominational pro- 
grams. The local church ought to make its educa- 
tional program primary, carrying this on steadily 
year after year. Then into this program bring the 
program of the denomination, adopting its great 
objectives as the great objectives of the church. 
Modify the details as you will, but be loyal to the 


The Missionaries and the Mission Boards 211 


program. This counsel cuts athwart the attractive 
habit many churches have of putting some indepen- 
dent missionary work or some unrelated local proj- 
ect into the foremost place in their financial plans, 
to the exclusion of the great fields for which as a 
part of the denomination they are responsible. Here 
the principle may well be applied, “ This ye ought 
to have done, and not to have left the other undone.” 
Special objects should not be excluded, but the main 
objective ought always to be the knowledge and 
support of the denomination’s own work. Loyalty 
to the denominational program first! 


A Denominational Esprit de Corps 


This denominational loyalty is more than simply 
accepting the leadership and direction of the denomi- 
national boards or officers. It means a denomina- 
tional esprit de corps, a denominational enthusiasm, 
based on thorough knowledge of the denomination, 
its organization, its leaders, its policies. Let us say 
again that denominational loyalty of this sort does 
not mean disloyalty to the larger fellowship which 
includes all Christians. But whatever the larger 
loyalty may mean, now or in the future, the cultiva- 
tion of an intelligent denominational enthusiasm is 
primal. Develop this denominational consciousness, 
and you have a strong force in pushing forward the 
work for which the denomination and the whole 
church are responsible. There is no wiser or more 
effective way to arouse denominational spirit than 
through knowledge and appreciation of the achieve- 
ments of the denomination and its representatives 
on the mission field. The heroic story of missions 


212 Making a Missionary Church 





in Turkey ought to arouse every Congregational 
church. The recital of the travels and hardships and 
successes of Archdeacon Stuck and his associates 
in Alaska should stir the hearts of all Episcopalians. 
A vivid portrayal of the pioneer work of Judson 
and his noble young wife and of the great develop- 
ments that have resulted in Burma ought to make 
Baptists enthusiastic. The history of Methodist 
missions all over the world may well arouse every 
member of that church to larger activity and gener- 
osity. The story of Dye of Central Africa and that 
of Shelton of Tibet are a precious legacy to all Disci- 
ples. And so we might go on through all denomina- 
tions. There is no monopoly of heroism or states- 
manship or of the overflowing blessing of God. 
Every denomination has a story, and a hundred 
stories, in its missionary endeavors, that can be used 
powerfully to stir up a proper pride and to develop 
a consciousness of power and resources and to de- 
velop a will to do and to sacrifice. The great trou- 
ble is, too many churches and too many members 
know very little about these exploits of the pioneers. — 
Here is a great asset which is in large part unused. 
Pastor, deacons, elders, missionary committee, ought 
to set themselves to make the great history of their 
denomination, in its tale of missionary heroism, 
familiar to the whole church. Then they will havea 
denominational esprit de corps with which they can 
do almost anything, 


XII 
RECRUITING FOR THE FIELD 


The Church a Recruiting Agency 


Recruits for the ministry and for missionary ser- 
vice come from the churches. Yet a good many ear- 
nest Christians never give this a thought. There are 
some churches that have sent into religious work 
scores of fine young people, and are doing this con- 
tinuously. There are others, however, that have 
never given a single recruit to the leadership of the 
church. Let us emphasize, therefore, the fact that 
every church is, or should be, a recruiting agency. ; 
The only source for the securing of new mission-\. 
aries is the Christian young people of the churches. 
They do not come from outside the churches, nor 
from some particular group or kind of churches. 
The churches that furnish the advance workers of 
the kingdom are not different from yours, so far as 
its make-up is concerned. It is from just the same 
kind of young people that you have in your church 
that the new recruits for the mission field come, and 
from just the same kind of homes as you have. And 
it is the business of your church and of all churches 
to be training young people continually for the places 
of leadership as missionaries at home and abroad. 
We leave this matter too much to the young people 
themselves. True, they must not be forced, but 
the church should be continually holding before the. ; 
young people the need for missionaries and the 

213 


214, Making a Missionary Church 


worthiness of this service, and be praying that God 
will honor them by choosing missionaries from 
among their number. Just as truly as that the 
church has a responsibility for educating the mem- 
bers in the facts of missions, for praying for mis- 
sions, and for giving to missions, the church should 
recognize its responsibility for seeking out those 
whom the Lord may be choosing for missionary 
leadership at the front. Recruits are always needed, 
even if in varying numbers. Moreover the prepara- 
tion takes many years, and every one whom God calls 
to this work will be needed by the time he is ready 
to enter it. So that constant cultivation should be 
given to the enlistment of recruits, that they may 
be ready when prepared. Asa part of its missionary _ 
plan every church should include proper efforts to — 
interest suitable young people in missions as a life- 
work, and pastor, missionary committee, deacons, 
and Bible-school superintendent should set them- 
selves seriously to the securing of worthy results 
along this line. 


What Is a Missionary Call? 


There are some good Christians who think that 
it is an interference with God’s plans to set the needs. | 
for missionary service before young people and to ~ 
make any efforts to influence them to offer them- 
selves for such work. Their idea is that if God 
wants any one as a missionary he will speak to that 
one and definitely “ call’? him, and the one who is 
called will have a peculiar sense and feeling of 
being God’s choice for a definite work. No one 
should undertake missionary work without a clear 


Recruiting for the Field 215 


confidence that that is what he ought to do for 
God, but the conviction will not be just a feeling; it 
will be grounded on definite facts, and the decision 
will come as the result of considering those facts. 
As a matter of record, missionaries have always 
gone out because they have deliberated over needs, 
conditions, and circumstances, with the teachings 
and call of Christ to every Christian, and in the light 
of the facts have quietly and intelligently decided to 
give their lives to missions. William Carey pored 
over the Bible, read Cook’s “ Voyages,” and studied 
a map of the world. Robert Moffat listened to the 
stories of bold Moravian missionaries in Greenland 
and Labrador from the lips of his mother. David 
Livingstone read the lives of Henry Martyn and 
Carl Giitzlaff, and heard Robert Moffat describe how 
he had “ sometimes seen in the morning sun the 
smoke of a thousand villages where no missionary 
had ever been.” Adoniram Judson read a mission- 
ary sermon on ‘‘ The Star in the East” by a chap- 
lain of the East India Company. In the case of every 
one of these it was the facts of need combined with 
their own opportunity that constituted God’s call. 
That is the way God still calls young men and women 
to missionary service. The author has talked with 
scores of young men who have felt themselves called 
to the mission field and has read hundreds of letters 
recounting their experience and explaining their de- 
cision, and with hardly an exception the story was 
this: They wanted to use their lives as fully as 
possible for God, they believed the place of greatest 
need was the mission field, and they believed that 
they could in some measure meet that need. 


216 Making a Missionary Church 





A missionary call consists of three things: 
J (1) Knowledge. Men and women do not give their 
' lives to something they have never heard about. A 
missionary decision is based on knowledge of the 
world, the comparative need of peoples in different 
parts of it, what has been done for them, what can 
be done, what ought to be done. A young man or 
young woman reads and studies and comes to be- 
lieve that the greatest need for Christian service is 
in non-Christian lands, or in unevangelized sections 
of our own land. This is fundamental. No one ever 
' decides .to.be.a missionary without first learning the 
~ need of the missionary world for Christ and Chris- 
tian service. (2) Consecration—a loving desire for 
the enthronement of Christ in the hearts of all men 
and a purpose to use one’s life to that end. No one 
will be a missionary unless he thinks the most im- 
portant thing for all men is to know Christ, and 
naturally he will never give his own life to the mis- 
sion cause unless he is eager for Christ to come to 


his own. (3) Opportunity. The possession, in some. 


measure, of the necessary qualifications is a strong 
reason for believing God wants the man where such 
qualifications are most needed. As Ion Keith-Fal- 
coner put it: . 


While vast continents are shrouded in almost utter darkness 


and hundreds of millions are suffering the horrors of heathen- — 


ism or of Islam, the burden of proof rests upon you to show 
that the circumstances in which God has placed you were 
meant by him to keep you out of the foreign mission field. 


A knowledge of the greater need of the mission field, 
a desire to fulfil the need, and the opportunity to have 


4 


Recruiting for the Field 217 


a part in fulfilling the need—these constitute a mis- 
sionary call. 


Qualifications for Missionary Service “> 


What kind of young men and women should be 
encouraged to consider missionary service in making 
their life plans? In other words, just what is meant 
by “opportunity”? (1) Youth. Ordinarily one 
who goes to the foreign field ought to be under 
thirty. Mastery of the language, becoming’ accli- 
mated, and adjusting one’s self to new conditions 
of life are very difficult after that age. Special posi- 
tions in foreign lands and work in this country con- 
stitute exceptions, but in general youth is a neces- 
sary qualification. (2) Education. The demands of 
missionary work are such in these days that thor- 
ough educational training is necessary in order to 
handle the tasks and problems that are involved. 
Education is spreading all over the world, and poorly 
educated missionaries are not welcomed. (3) Health. 
The hardships of the early days have largely gone, 
but conditions of physical life and the nervous strain 
of the work and associations make it impossible for 
any but those in perfect health to be successful, 
though some who could not work in one climate can 
do so in others. (4) Leadership. No matter how 
good a man or woman may be, more is necessary to 
fit for missionary service. A missionary in these 
days, especially a foreign missionary, is first of all 
a leader. He is an administrator, a teacher, an ad- 
visor. Many native workers, and perhaps other mis- 
sionaries, are under his direction. The best young 
men and young women, who have ability in some 


218 Making a Missionary Church 


directions as leaders, are the only ones who should 
be encouraged to look forward to missionary work. 
(5) Tact. More missionaries fail because they lack 
tact and common sense than for almost any other 
reason. No one who cannot get along with others 
at home can hope to get along with others, even other 
missionaries, on the mission field. (6) Freedom 
from home responsibilities. This does not mean 
ordinary home ties. Because one is an only child is 
no proof that God does not want that one to serve him 
in China. But occasionally there are home responsi- 
bilities that constitute a valid reason for not con- 
sidering missionary service. (7) Character. This 
is mentioned last simply because it is assumed, not 
because it is less important. Proved Christian char- 
acter is the first essential for success as a missionary. 

Clearly not all the young people of any church are 
called to missionary work, either at home or abroad. 
But in almost every church there are earnest, sensi- 
ble young men and young women with strong bodies 
and qualities of leadership, who can get the requisite 
education and other training, if attention is given to 
them early enough. The responsibility rests heavily 
upon the church, especially upon the pastor and other 
missionary leaders, to educate the young people in 
missions and to choose out those who seem to have 
the native fitness and the opportunity and to lead 
them into a frank and fair facing of the missionary | 
call of God for their own lives. 


Various Kinds of Missionaries 


Just here it should be made clear that there are a 
great many different forms of missionary work. The 


Recruiting for the Field 219 





young men who are sent out are not limited to 
preachers, nor the young women to evangelistic 
workers. There are teachers of all subjects, both , 
men and women, physicians, nurses, dentists, build- \/ 
ers, industrial managers, musicians, forestry ex- 
perts, directors of community centers, kindergart- 
ners, matrons of day nurseries, Americanization 
visitors, bookkeepers, business managers and mis- 
sion treasurers. Almost every kind of worker is 
needed, either in the home mission field or in the 
foreign mission field. For the purpose of missions 
is to build a Christian civilization, beginning with , 
Christian lives and reaching out from them and > 
through them into the whole life of the community 
and of the nation, to make it all Christian. You 
can tell a young man or young woman with almost 
any bent or talent that that talent can be used in 
the mission field, and there is increasing call for the 
unusual forms of work, though in small numbers. It 
would be well, however, in the case of a promising 
young man or woman, to bring him into touch with 
the secretary of the mission board early, so that his 
training may be wisely directed. This is true, in- 
deed, regarding every one who may be considering 
missionary service, especially work abroad. The 
boards welcome an early acquaintance with possible 
candidates. Of course such communication does not 
commit either to future action. Finally, let it be 
remembered that every one who is to enter mission- 
ary service needs thorough training. No short- 
course man or woman is needed. The best is none 
too good to offer God for his service anywhere, in 
the home church or the missionary field. 


220 Making a Missionary Church 


The Missionary Call from the Pulpit 


Every pastor should sound a clear, bold call from ¥ 


the pulpit for missionary volunteers. He may 
preach on the principles of missions and may pray 
for the missionaries and their work, but if he does 
not make a definite personal application there are 
young men and women in his congregation who 
ought to hear the voice of God asking for the gift 
of their lives who will never hear it because this 
personal application is wanting. The fact is, many 
ministers are a little afraid to be very direct in such 
an appeal, partly because they fear the opposition 
of the parents, partly because they have a mistaken 
desire that their young people shall have a comfort- 
able life, partly because of a lack of the sense of the 
heroic in the service of Christ, and partly because 
of lack of missionary interest. Parents need to be 
faced with their missionary responsibility for their 
children, and the young men and young women need 


to be confronted squarely with the need of God for 


their lives where the need is greatest. If they do not 
hear the summons from the pastor they are quite 
likely not to have the matter enter their minds, or 
to feel that it is not important as the pastor never 
mentions it. Moreover, it is easy to shift one’s re- 
sponsibility to others, to feel that one’s situation is 


peculiar and that others can go more easily. Only ~ 


a clear picture of the needs of the mission fields, a 
bold and revealing description of the qualifications 
of the young people of the church, and a frank chal- 
lenge to them to prove their loyalty to Christ and to 
make their lives of the highest use to the world ‘by 


IN 


Recruiting for the Field 221 


heroic service, will bring some face to face with the 
question of volunteering for missions. The question 
of values should be presented frankly, the real mean- 
ing and purpose of life should be set forth, the com- 
pensations of missionary life should be recounted, 
and it should be made clear that there are some of 
the young people of the church who ought to con- 
sider the question. This personal appeal ought to 
be presented by the pastor at regular intervals. His 
people ought not to be permitted to assume that the 
normal business for them or their children is to 
make money, or that the natural life for them or 
their children is a comfortable life at home. The 
normal thing for a Christian is to find the place of 
greatest need, the hardest task, and the most heroic 
service. The trouble is, there are too many abnormal 
Christians. And one reason for it is that the pulpit 
does not sound forth vigorously and fearlessly 
enough the heroic call to self-denying, daring ser- 
vice for Christ. 


The Pastor and His Young People 


But it is not only in the pulpit that the pastor can 
be a recruiting agent for the mission field. The 
minister who is in touch with his young people as a 
minister should be, and who has their sympathy and 
confidence, can find numerous ways of bringing the 
question of missionary service before those who he 
believes should consider it. An_occasional talk in 
the meeting of the young people’s society will help. 
A series of life-work addresses by himself and others 
will give opportunity to present missions for con- 
sideration equally with business, teaching, and other 


222 Making a Missionary Church 





vocations. A visit to the church by a well-chosen 
missionary can be made an occasion for carefully 
prepared interviews on this subject. Letters to some 
of the young people away in college can suggest the 
question. And especially the ordinary conversation 
of the pastor with young people can be directed 
into a consideration of the claims of missionary ser- 
vice. Ministers ought to interest themselves in the 
plans their young people are making for life. It is 
not a matter for indifference what a young man or a 
young woman with opportunity to choose decides to 
do with the life and talents God has given. An en- 
tirely false idea of success is abroad in the world, 
among Christians as among those not professing to 
hold the Christian ideal, and a pastor should take 
every opportunity to get all his young people, and 
especially those who have the qualifications for 
leadership, to realize that success means fulfilling 
the purpose of one’s life in service to one’s fellow 
men; then. to raise the question whether there may 
not be need for his service as a missionary admin- 
istrator, teacher, or physician. Occasional sugges-- 
tions of this sort can be thrown out in conversa- 
tion, but opportunity should be sought for special 
conversation on the subject with those who seem 
most promising. Pastors should feel their clear re- 
sponsibility for recruiting workers for the difficult 
places in the work of the kingdom. They should 
study their young people, watch their development, | 
know what their talents and interests are, and dili- 
gently and prayerfully seek out those who may prop- 
erly be asked to face the missionary calling as a 
possible field of life service and to ask whether God 


Recruiting for the Field 223 


does not want them to serve him there, where the 
need is greatest and the fewest have the opportunity 
of working. 


The Responsibility of Parents 


Without doubt the greatest obstacle in the way of 
securing recruits for missionary service is the oppo- 
sition of parents. Of course parents who are not 
Christians may naturally be expected to oppose such 
plans for their children, but the strange thing is that 
fathers and mothers who are Christians, often very 
active in the church, should set themselves in opposi- 
tion to their sons or daughters undertaking a difficult 
task for Christ. Such an attitude is a strange com- 
mentary on their Christianity. The trouble is, 
Christian parents as well as those who are not Chris- 
tian are too generally imbued with the idea that a 


successful life means affluence and comfort. They 


talk of these things before their children, instance 
this one or that one as successful when what they 
have in mind is their money and comfortable life, 
and their plans for their sons and daughters center 
around the securing of a paying position that will 
bring ease. Any parent can sympathize with the 
desire that one’s children may be spared discomfort 
and have plenty, with a home among old friends and 
with all the enjoyments of culture. And yet as 
Christians we have to remember that there is some- 
thing better and bigger to strive for than any of 
these things. We have to remember that wealth and 
comfort are not success; that success is the accom- 
plishing of the purpose for which God has sent us 
into the world; and that the great thing for the 


224 Making a Missionary Church 





Christian is to undertake the hardest task, go where 
Christ needs him most, and do the utmost possible 
to help make Christ king over all the world. That 
is Christian success, and Christian parents should 
hold this ideal before their children continually. The 
ideal of success that is common in the world is not 
a Christian ideal, but thoroughly unchristian, and 
fathers and mothers who are Christians ought to be 
eoncerned greatly lest their children yield to the 
influence of this unchristian ideal and seek a false 
success. Christian parents wrong their sons and 
daughters, instead of blessing them, when they turn 
their lives and talents toward pursuit of any ideal 
but that of Christ. If you want to give your boy or 
girl the greatest happiness and make it possible for 
them to look back upon life with the greatest satis- 
faction, urge upon them the planning of their lives 
in such a way as to do the most for Christ and to 
help the world most where it needs help most. Not 
every young man or young woman can'be a mission- | 
ary, or should be one, but parents need not fear to 
let their children face the question of missionary ser- 
vice, knowing that Christ gives the richest blessings 
to those who use their lives most freely for him. 
Christ’s word remains true for every Christian, “ A 
man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the 
things which he possesseth.”” The ideal for Chris- 
tian parents and for their children is his, “ Not to . 
be ministered unto, but to minister.” 


The Opportunity of Teachers 


Teachers of young people’s classes in the church . 
school have a unique opportunity to bring the claims \ 


Recruiting for the Field 225 


of missionary service to the attention of their pupils. 
If the world’s needs have been adequately presented 
and the missionary principles of Christianity have 
been clearly taught, with conviction in the mind of 
the teacher, a foundation has been laid for the per- 
sonal appeal which must surely be made if the teach- 
ing is to issue in action, as all teaching ought to do. 
The general question of one’s own duty in view of 
the situation in non-Christian lands and the un- 
evangelized groups in America should be frankly dis- 
cussed, and this is the opportunity of the teacher to 
press home the question whether God may not want 
the service of some of those in the class as home 
missionaries or foreign missionaries. Point out the 
qualifications and the preparation needed, making 
it clear that there is no place for second-rate young 
men or women in this work on the frontier of Chris- 
tianity, but that to establish a Christian civilization, 
with all that includes, calls for the strongest, wisest, 
best-trained, and most earnest Christians to be 
found. The class teaching should be followed up by 


personal conversation on the subject with any who ~ 


seem specially qualified by native gifts or opportu- 
nity, perhaps putting in their hands such a pamphlet 
as Speer’s “‘ What Constitutes a Missionary Call,” or 
Eddy’s “‘The Supreme Decision of the Christian 
Student.” While frankly setting forth the condi- 
tions of life, etc., which missionary work involves, 
do not emphasize the sacrifice but the privilege. 
Urge the honor of being given the opportunity of 
doing the hard task for Christ and being trusted 
with such a big undertaking as the missionary has. 
Pray for reapers, and get the class to praying for 


ve 
A eID 


226 Making a Missionary Church 


them. At the same time seek wisely and persistently 
to lead those best qualified to face frankly the ques- 
tion of being themselves reapers in the great mis- 
sionary harvest-field. 


The Appeal of the Heroic 


The great decisions of life are most often made in 
the teens or early twenties. These are the ages when 
the heroic most appeals to the imagination. Older | 
boys and girls and young men and women want to do 
things. They are stirred by the deeds of those who 
have accomplished things against heavy odds. They 
are not afraid of difficulties, and laugh at things 
called impossible. They are loyal to ideals, and 
dream of the best and the highest. Enlist them in 
loyalty to Christ, and you can appeal to the heroic 
to stir them to great decisions and difficult tasks. 
Here is an opportunity that should be made the most 
of. Appeal to the heroic in behalf of missionary ser- 
vice. Do not encourage the idea of an easy life. Life 
is not given to be got through as easily as possible 
but to use in accomplishing the most for God of 
which life is capable. So show the difficulties of 
missionary work. Tell of the hard tasks great lead- 
ers in the world’s conquest have performed, of the 
sacrifices they made and the satisfactions they had 
in the achievement of great things for the kingdom 
of Christ. Describe the things needing to be done ~ 
in foreign lands and in mission fields at home and 
make clear the difficulties and obstacles. Point out 
that the great things, the things worth while, are not 
easy, and that the easy life never accomplished the 
biggest things for God. Appeal to the heroic, tell the 


Recruiting for the Field PPA 


story of the missionary heroes, and stir the ambition 
and purpose of the young men and young women 
to undertake the hardest tasks for Christ. So you 
will enlist for the missionary enterprise the kind of 
recruits that are needed. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


R. E. Speer, “ What Constitutes a Missionary Call? ” 
Student Volunteer Movement. 10 cents. 

F. P. Turner, “ Who is Qualified to Prepare for For- 
eign Missionary Service?” Student Volunteer 
Movement. 5 cents. 

Publications of Board of Missionary Preparation 
and of Student Fellowship for Christian Life- 
Service. 

Sherwood Eddy, ‘The Supreme Decision of the 
Christian.” Student Volunteer Movement. 10 
cents. 


XII 
MONEY FOR MISSIONS 


A Missionary Church Gives 
Giving is the essence of missions. That.is what 


missions is—giving what we have to supply the need . 


of those who have not. If one says, “‘ Missions is 
giving the gospel, not money,” we may reply, Chris- 
tian giving knows no limit. If money is needed in 
Christ’s work for the world, a Christian cannot say, 
‘““T will preach the gospel, I will give my moral sup- 
port and sympathy to the missionaries, I will pray 
for missionary success, but I will not give my 
money.” Such an attitude would be absurd. A 


Christian gives, gives unreservedly, gives every- \ 


oe 


thing, that Christ may win the world. This giving | 


includes money. Soa church that is genuinely Chris- 


tian gives, and gives liberally, for missions. / Taking 


into account the financial ability of the members, a 
true gage of its missionary interest is the amount 
given for missions,_(\Giving of money is an insepara- 
ble part of the missionary life of a church. It is not 
something to be distinguished from the church’s 
spiritual life and activities, but is an integral part 


of that life, as much so as prayer or evangelism. It . 


is not a meaningless custom that an offering is a 
part of the service of worship; we give not just to 
pay expenses but as an act of worship and Christian 
service. So giving is an essential part of the mis- 
sionary life of every church. 

228 


' 


Money for Missions 229 


The Principles of Stewardship 


We give our money as an expression of our love 
to God and in recognition of God’s ownership of our 
possessions. We are all stewards of God. There are 
three simple stewardship principles: (1) God is the 
owner of.all things. This scarcely needs argument. 
The Bible teaches it clearly in such passages as 
“Every beast of the forest 1s mine, and the cattle 
upon a thousand hills” (Ps. 50: 10); “ The silver 
is mine, and the gold is mine, saith Jehovah of hosts ” 
(Hag. 2: 8). (2) We hold what we have as God’s 
stewards. This is not so readily recognized by us, 
but is just as clearly taught in the Bible. For exam- 
ple, consider the meaning of the parable of the tal- 
ents (Matt. 25 : 14-30), the parable of the pounds 
(Luke 19 : 12-27); and verses like 1 Corinthians 
4: 1, “ Let a man so account of us as of the minis- 
ters of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of 
God,” and others. Indeed, this follows logically from 
the fact of God’s ownership of all we have. (3) The 
acknowledgment of our stewardship requires the 
setting apart regularly of a definite portion of our 
income for the Lord’s work. The classic scripture 
here is 1 Corinthians 16 : 2, “ Upon the first day of 
the week let every one of you lay by him in store 
as God hath prospered him,” expressing in Christian 
terms the spirit of the Old Testament tithe. 

Making and using money in accordance with these 
stewardship principles puts a value upon money that 
cannot be reckoned by its purchasing power. It be- 
comes a part of ourselves. When we give; we give 
ourselves. How we give expresses ourselves. Giv- 





230 Making a Missionary Church 


ing becomes a Christian act. Unlimited possibilities 
are contained in it. Giving is as much a spiritual 
service aS praying or preaching. So our ‘giving is 
an act of missionary service. 


Why Money Is Needed 


The extension of the kingdom of our Lord is im- 
possible without money. Money is needed to trans- 
port missionaries to their fields, to pay their salaries, 
to erect their homes, to build chapels and schools and 
hospitals and orphanages, to pay the salaries of na- 
tive pastors, evangelists, teachers, Bible-women, and 
other workers, to meet the cost of evangelistic tour- 
ing, to buy supplies for schools and hospitals, to pro- 
vide Scriptures and other Christian literature, to 
help weak home-mission churches, and administer 
the work and disseminate information at home. All 
these things cost money. You can pray just as ear- 
nestly as you like for the conversion of the heathen, 
for the Christianization of New Americans in our 
cities, for the evangelization of unreached villages — 
and towns in non-Christian lands, for the relief of 
the people from ignorance, poverty, and suffering, 
for the health of the missionaries, and for the spread 
of missionary interest among the home churches, } 
but unless you or others pay the cost in dollars and 
cents, you might as well stop praying. The world 
will never be evangelized or Christianized without 
money. Of course God could do it without our co- 
operation, but he never works that way. If we want 
the world evangelized, civilization made Christian, 
and Christ crowned King in the hearts of men ever 
where, we must give our money. 


Money for Missions 231 


How that enhances the value of money and en- 
nobles and spiritualizes it! It is not so much gold or 
silver or paper, but so much spiritual power, so much 
of God that we carry “around in our pocket or hold in 
our hand. It is this which we can put into the life 
of our community or send into the lives of people in| 
the uttermost parts of the earth. Use your money | 
for yourself, selfishly, and it loses its divine char- 
acter and power and becomes just plain, hard coin. 
But use it for Christ, and it is the noblest and most 
powerful thing for good and for God that you have. 
It is an inestimable privilege that has been given us, 
in making our money teach and preach and work for 
him. 


Education in Giving 


It does not need much consideration to make it 


evident that most churches need to be educated in \ / 


giving, in fact, need such education all the time. By 
this we do not mean simply developing a spirit of 
generosity. Many Christians are generous with 
money who nevertheless give very unintelligently 
and very unwisely. Education is necessary in \ 
(1) the principles of giving, or stewardship; (2) the “| 
objects of giving, to what we should give and in what | 
proportion; (3) the methods of giving, the wisest 
and most efficient ways of using our money for God. 

Church-members need to be taught pretty clearly 
the principles of giving. Money is so generally 
sought after as an individual possession that most 
Christians give very little thought to the application 
of Christ’s lordship to money. Every pastor ought 
to preach regularly on these principles, presenting 


232 Making a Missionary Church 





the subject in different ways, using different texts 
and fresh illustrations. An occasional series of ser- 
mons can be made effective. The subject may well 
be presented in the midweek service, where greater 
informality is possible and the subject can be opened 
for discussion. Questions can be invited, and thus 
difficulties can be answered. The devotional atmos- 
phere of the prayer-meeting is the right atmosphere 
in which to consider so practical a question as the 
use of money. However, more important than try- 
ing to teach grown-ups, who have their habits of 
giving pretty well settled, is the instruction of the 
children and young people. At some point in the 
Bible-school curriculum there should be a study of 


money in relation to God’s kingdom, what money is, 


whose it is, how to use it, and how to give it. In 
fact, the right use of one’s money is so important 
that teachers should use every opportunity in con- 
nection with lessons on more general subjects to im- 
press on their pupils the meaning of money, one’s 


responsibility for one’s money, and the possibilities 


of money in helping the work of Christ. 
Careful education is needed also in the objects of 
giving. Too much of our giving is indiscriminate, 


with little consideration of the relative importance. 


of different objects and little thought of our special 
responsibility for particular objects. Giving is often 
unintelligent. People give for ‘‘ missions” or 
*“ benevolences,” without much knowledge of where 
or how or by whom the money is to be used. The 
result is smaller offerings than would be the case 


with intelligent giving, and lack of the spirit of | 


worship with the gift. A church should know how 


Money for Missions 233 


its money is used; in fact, it should decide intelli- 
gently how its missionary budget shall be made up 
and to what objects and organizations the money 
shall be given. The same applies to the Bible school 
and all other organizations in the church. Full infor- 
mation should be given on the work of the societies 
or boards to which money is given, using incidents, 
pictures, maps, and literature to help make this 
clear; and a regular report should be given on what 
has actually been accomplished. If any of the mis- 
sion boards or other organizations publishes a brief 
statement, in a folder or pamphlet, showing the re- 
sults of the year, it is a good idea to send a copy of 
this to every member of the church, with a letter 
from the pastor calling attention to it as a report to 
them on the use of their gifts. An intensely inter- 
esting method of reporting the results of the church’s 
missionary giving is a sermon or address by the 
pastor showing what their gifts have accomplished 
during the year in proportion to the total gifts of 
the denomination. For example, suppose the whole 
denomination has given $1,000,000 for foreign mis- 
sions, with the result that 8,000 native workers have 
been supported, 10,000 baptized, 2,000 Sunday 
schools carried on, 3,000 schools conducted, 75,000 
pupils given a Christian education, 400,000 medical 
treatments given, and $100,000 contributed by the 
native Christians; if the church has given for for- 
eign missions $1,000, or one one-thousandth of the 
$1,000,000, the church by its thousand dollars has 
secured 10 baptisms, supported 8 native workers, 
conducted 2 Sunday schools and 3 day-schools, given 
75 boys and girls a Christian education, provided 100 


234 Making a Missionary Church 


medical treatments, and brought $100 into the Lord’s 
treasury besides. The same method can be used to 
show what the church has done in home missions, 
education, etc. This is of course arbitrary, but it 
is an exceedingly graphic and concrete way of show- 
ing what the church’s money has accomplished. It 
can be kept from being mechanical by giving inci- 
dents and making the story personal and human 
throughout, and is certain to arouse keen interest. 
Education is needed in proper and effective 
methods of giving. This needs to be undertaken 
first of all with leaders individually, then with the 
official board of the church, then with the church 
itself. If weekly giving to both local expenses and 
missions is not the method, with a yearly every-mem- 
ber canvass, a monthly or quarterly follow-up, and 
monthly or quarterly reports by the treasurer of 
missions, Show what the custom that is followed does 
and does not do, point out what Christian principles 
and New Testament teachings require, and compare 
results with possibilities and with what others are 
doing who use better methods. We speak more in 
detail regarding this in the section on the every- 
member canvass. The point to be emphasized here 
is the necessity of thorough education in the most 
effective methods of giving, in view of the impor- 
tance of money and in view of our responsibility for 
what God has entrusted to us and of the unlimited . 
possibilities of money in the work of the kingdom. 


For What Shall the Church Give? 


In the multiplicity of causes needing money, what 
shall the church choose as the objects of its benefi- 


Money for Missions ab 


cence? First of all, the work represented by the de- X 
nominational missionary, educational and benevolent’ — 


boards or societies. Denominational loyalty was 
emphasized in Chapter XI. The most practical evi- 
dence of such loyalty is our giving. This is loyalty 
that costs something—and this is the only loyalty 
that counts. ‘‘ If any provideth not for his own, and 
specially his own household, he hath denied the faith, 
and is worse than:an unbeliever ” (1 Tim. 5: 8). 
The missionaries of your denomination and their 
coworkers are of your own household, and their 
work is yours. The first obligation is to support them 
and that work. Who else will take care of the work 
of the denomination if the members of the denomi- 
nation do not? This is a day of mission comity, 
when each denomination is recognized as having 
definite fields of work, in many of which no other 
denomination is at work. Other denominations 
recognize that the responsibility for those fields be- 
longs to the churches of that denomination, and un- 
less those churches support the work it will not be 
supported. Then besides the missions of the de- 
nomination there are special lines of work that are 
distinctly denominational, such as the support of 
the denominational schools and the care of super- 
annuated ministers. The whole financial program , 


of one’s own denomination should be the first care “ 


of every church of that denomination. This work 
has been begun by those churches, and no other 
churches will continue it and support it. It belongs 
to those churches, and the responsibility for support- 
ing it is theirs; just as the support of the schools and 
police and fire departments of a community is the 


236 Making a Missionary Church 


responsibility of the people of that community. In 
one case the responsibility is moral and in the other 
it is legal, but is the moral less obligatory pial 
Christians than the legal? 

Second, give to the regular, established work 
rather than to new and special objects. There is 
more interest sometimes in a new proposition, like 
a new school or a new station, or an automobile, or 
an electric lighting plant, and often such things are 
very greatly needed. But always the thing most 
needed and most important is the work already in 
operation, the work to which these extra things 
would be additions or accessories. The mission 
boards are not arbitrary in urging the regular work 
as the first claim upon the churches’ gifts. This is 
the attitude of the missionaries themselves. Their — 
annual financial requests put first the support of the 
work already in operation and the continuance of 
appropriations for that work, and if they were asked 
whether they would prefer that a church should give — 
to their station or withdraw its gifts from that. 
station and open another, they would unhesitatingly 
say, ‘‘ Open the new one if you can, but at any rate 
support this one strongly.” Of course the extra 
needs should be met if possible, but first let the 
church continue its gifts to the work already estab- 
lished. ‘ 

_Third, include in the church’s missionary budget - 
some interdenominational object to foster the fellow- 
ship with Christians of other churches. Many of 
the denominational budgets already include such 
items, such as the union women’s colleges in the 
Orient, the union churches in Oriental ports and’ in 


Money for Missions 237 


the Canal Zone, the work of the Federal Council of 
the Churches of Christ in America, etc. Where any 
of these is included there is a fine opportunity for 
pastors to call attention to these items and stress 
the larger fellowship of the churches. If the mis- 
sionary budgets of the denomination do not take in 
interdenominational objects, the church should in- 
clude in its own budget a certain amount for some 
interdenominational or undenominational cause, 
such as those mentioned, or the American Bible So- 
ciety, the Canton Christian College, or the local visit- 
ing nurses’ association. 

Fourth, an emergency item should be in the 
church’s missionary budget, which can be voted by 
the proper body to meet special needs that arise 
locally or in other parts of the country or in foreign 
lands. : 


How to Give: the Every-member Canvass 


Every church needs to study the best method of 
giving. And the only method that fully meets the 


situation is the every-member canvass, coupled with / * 


the weekly offering for missions and local expenses 
through the double envelope. The rapidly increasing 
number of churches using this plan, and the large 
results, financial and spiritual, that follow the thor- 
ough working of the plan, are sufficient evidence of 
its value. In brief the every-member canvass is a 
simultaneous visitation of all the members of the 
church on a given day to secure pledges for both 
missions and local expenses. Complete information 
on how to organize an every-member canvass is pro- 
vided for the asking by the proper board or depart- 


> 
Sa 


as 
~ 


238 Making a Missionary Church 





ment of any denomination; we give here only a very 
brief summary: (1) Selection of a day for the can- 
vass—this should be a Sunday, to emphasize the 
spiritual nature and meaning of giving; (2) tenta- 
- tive adoption of a budget for missions and local ex- 
penses; (3) full preparation of the church by the 
pastor in a series of midweek services and Sunday 
morning sermons; (4) definite enlistment ofa group 
of members—about ten per cent. of the membership 
—for the work of canvassing; (5) training of the 
canvassers in one or two meetings; (6) letter from 
the church to every member, signed by pastor and 
chairman of finance committee, explaining the can- 
vass, giving details of the budget and requesting all 
who are not canvassers to be at home on Sunday 
afternoon to welcome the church’s messengers; 
(7) sermon by the pastor on the morning of the can- 
vass on the spiritual side of giving and the meaning 
of the every-member canvass, after which the can- 
vassers are dedicated to their work in prayer; 


(8) meeting of the canvassers in early afternoon ~ 


for prayer and for canvass of one another; (9) a 
thorough canvass of all members by teams of two, 
according to lists prepared by finance committee; 


(10) report by all canvassers to committee before 


evening service, when a tentative report is given to 
the church; (11) reassignment of those not pledging, 
and recanvass during following week, with final 
report the next Sunday; (12) distribution of carton 
of double envelopes to every one who has pledged; 
(13) final adoption of budget by church; (14) quar- 
terly statement sent to each member, to vere 
account and remind of pledge. 


Money for Missions 239 


No plan will work itself; but the every-member 
canvass always brings full spiritual and financial 
results when it is fully worked. In cases where suc- 
cess is not attained, one or more of the following 
causes for failure are sure to be found: Use of letters 
or taking of pledges in church service instead of 
personal visit, overemphasis on current expense bud- | 
get, too extended a period of visitation, failure to 
train canvassers, insufficient education of the church 
before the canvass, failure to make the canvass an 
annual event, lack of adequate follow-up work. 


Following Up the Canvass 


The greatest essential in securing a successful 
every-member canvass is full preparation. But the 
canvass will fail of permanent results, financial and 
educational, unless it is followed up adequately. In 
the first place the canvass should be made complete 
by visiting during the next week those not seen on 
Sunday. Then non-resident members should be can- 
vassed by a strong letter sending the greetings of 
the church, enclosing a subscription card and point- 
ing out their responsibility for cooperating through 
their offerings in the work of the church of which 
they are members, but also raising the question 
whether they should not transfer their membership 
to a church in the place where they live. Once a 
quarter a letter should go from the finance commit- 
tee to every member, pointing out some of the spiri- 
tual results that have been made possible through the 
money that has been contributed, enclosing a state- 
ment of the member’s account in both local expenses 
and missions, and expressing the warmest interest 


240 Making a Missionary Church 





in all that concerns the member. The letter should 
explain that the financial statement is sent, first, in 
order to correct any errors in the church’s accounts, 
and second, to remind the member of his pledge, if 
he has subscribed, and of the need of the Lord’s work 
for the gifts of his followers. A further statement 
should be added making it clear that the letter is 
sent to every member, that it is in no sense a dun, 
and that if the member has found it necessary for 
any reason to delay payment on his pledge it is sug- 
gested that he tell the pastor so that the matter may 
be understood. In the latter case a notation should 
be made in connection with his name on the books, 
so that no further statements will be sent him until 
the pastor, who should quietly and sympathetically 
keep in touch with the situation, notifies the finance 
committee that the member’s financial difficulty is 
relieved. All this should of course be kept in con- 
fidence. Following the above procedure avoids the 
difficulty that makes the quarterly statement objec- 
tionable to some, and at the same time makes it pos- 
sible for the pastor to learn of any need among the ~ 
members and for the church to act sympathetically 
in relation to the members. 

The every-member canvass should also be followed) 
up continually throughout the year with informa- \ 
tion, not only a regular financial report monthly or 
quarterly, but a report from time to time on what - 
has been done on the mission field with the money the 
church has given. This of course is a part of the 
general program of missionary education. But the 
information should be tied up to the money gifts of 
the members in such a way that they will think of 


Money for Missions 24.1 


the achievements of the missionaries as made possi- 
ble in part by their offerings, as is quite true, and 
hence as their achievements, the work of their 
church. Current missionary information, especially 
from the missionary periodicals, can be presented by 
the pastor and others in this way so as to be very per- 
sonal and interesting. The point is that those whose 
interest has been aroused in order to secure their 
pledges for the missionary work of the church should 
not be allowed to let their interest lapse by the 
neglect of the church. A follow-up of interest as 
well as of pledges is necessary. 


What About the Tithe? 


In conclusion, a brief paragraph may be given to 
this question, a very live one today in relation to mis- 
sionary plans and methods. Old Testament giving 
began with the tithe; a tenth of all income was re- 
quired of every Israelite. This was law. One had 
no option. Free gifts were called for also, but the 
tithe was the required acknowledgment of God’s 
ownership and man’s stewardship. There is by no 
means agreement among Christians as to whether 
the Jewish requirement is also a Christian duty. 
But the New Testament nowhere definitely states 
this to be true, and the spirit of Christ’s teachings, 
which are entirely free from the legalistic require- 
ments of the old dispensation, is quite opposed to 
considering the tithe—the tenth—as a binding law 
upon Christians. The Christian principle of giving 
is better expressed by Paul’s injunction in 1 Corin- 
thians 16: 2. God calls for a regular acknowledg- 
ment of him by free-will offerings proportioned to 


242 Making a Missionary Church 


the gifts he has bestowed upon us. But this involves 
proportionate giving—the regular giving of a defi- 
nite proportion of our income, carefully determined 
in the light of the needs of Christ’s work and our 
responsibility for those whom God has entrusted to 
our care. The simplest proportion is a tenth; it is 
easy to reckon and is on the average a normal pro- 
portion to give. It has been estimated that if every 
Christian gave a tenth of his net income to the Lord’s 
work, all needs at home and abroad would be cared 
for. The appeal for proportionate giving, to pro- 
vide for missions and local work, may well suggest 
a tenth as an average gift. It is easier to get people 
to accept this than to get them at first to work out a 
proportion for themselves, and experience has shown 
that most people can give a tenth of their income. 
But others can give more, and some must give less. 
_No hard rule should be urged. The spirit of Christ 
calls for the free-will gift, sacrificial but willing and 
glad. And in all giving we need to rémember our ~ 
stewardship and Christ’s example. Emphasize the | 

lordship of Christ, and the tithe will find its proper 
place, and sufficient will be given for the needs of 
the Master’s work at home and abroad. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


Bert Wilson, “The Christian and His Money . 
Problem.” George H. Doran Co. $1.50. 

G. L. Morrill, “ You and Yours.” F. H. Revell Co. 
60 cents and $1.00. 

C. A. Cook, “‘ The Larger Stewardship.” The Ameri- 
can Baptist Publication Society. $1.00. 


Money for Missions 243 


H. R. Calkins, ‘‘ A Man and His Money.” Methodist 
Book Con. $1.00. 

F. A. Agar, “‘ Modern Money Methods.” The Ameri- 
can Baptist Publication Society. $1.00. 

R. S. Cushman, ‘“ Adventures in Stewardship.” 
Methodist Book Con. 50 cents. 


XIV 
PRAYER FOR MISSIONS 


Why Pray? 

This question is fundamental. Why pray for any- 
thing? In view of the great number of books on 
prayer we need not give large space here to the 
consideration of the meaning and importance of 
prayer. But it is a subject that demands the most 
earnest study on the part of every minister and 
church leader. Prayer was central in the life and 4 
teaching of Jesus. It has a place in every service of © 
worship. Christian workers, including missionaries, 
pray much and ask others to pray for them and their 
work. Clearly prayer has an importance that cannot 
be overlooked or neglected. And if it has any value 
at all, it must have some importance with regard to 
missions, the largest and most difficult task of the | 
church. Even if prayer has only a reflexive mean- 
ing, and affects only the one who prays, to pray for 
missionaries and for native workers and for their 
work is worth while for its broadening influence 
alone. To think of other peoples and nations widens 
our horizon; to pray for those engaged in hard tasks 
elsewhere broadens our sympathy as we recall our . 
own difficulties; to face in the quiet of the deep 
places of our life the problems that missionaries are 
giving their lives to solve, quickens our interest and 
makes us realize afresh our need for God’s power 
and help. But if prayer is more than mental and 
244 


Prayer for Missions 245 





emotional in its influence, if it is objective as well 
as subjective, if it really does things and accom- 
plishes results in the lives of the men and women 
for whom we pray, then it is a weapon of tremendous 
power, and every member of the church ought to be 
taught how to use it. 


What Missionaries Think of Prayer 


It is well to consider what missionaries themselves 
and missionary leaders at home think of prayer. 
Read what some of them have said: 


Unprayed for, I feel like a diver at the bottom of a river 
with no air to breathe, or like a fireman on a blazing building 
with an empty hose (James Gilmour, of Mongolia). Prayer 
and pains through faith in Jesus Christ will do anything 
(John Eliot, missionary to the Indians). Whoever prays 
most, helps most (William Goodell). He who faithfully prays 
at home does as much for foreign missions as the man on the 
field, for the nearest way to the heart of a Hindu or China- 
man is by way of the throne of God (Eugene Stock of the 
Church Missionary Society). Every element in the mission- 
ary problem depends for its solution upon ah ae (Robert 
E. Speer). 


The missionaries believe in prayer. John Hunt’s 
deathbed cry was, “‘ Oh, let me pray for Fiji! Lord, 
save Fiji!” Adoniram Judson of Burma testified, 
“TI never was deeply interested in any object, I 
never prayed sincerely and earnestly for anything, 
but it came at some time.” David Livingstone 
records his prayers again and again in his diary: 
“Help me to be more profitable during this year.” 
“My Jesus, my King, my Life, my All, I again dedi- 
cate my whole self to Thee.” And when his faithful 


246 Making a Missionary Church 





friends entered his tent on that last morning, he was 
on his knees in prayer. 


What Prayer Has Accomplished 


It is a long story, and a library of books would be 
needed to tell it in brief outline. You can go back to 
Peter’s missionary vision on the housetop, and from 
that event down to our own time trace the connec-\, 
tion between prayer and the organization of missions — 
and of missionary agencies. The beginnings of 
Carey’s mission to India can be traced back to John 
Ryland’s address to the churches, urging prayer for 
“the spread of the gospel to the most distant parts 
of the habitable globe.” The results of the Haystack 
Prayer-meeting at Williams College are well known, 
including the formation of the American Board of 
Commissioners for Foreign Missions, the American 
Baptist Foreign Mission Society, the Foreign Mis- 
sion Board of the Southern Baptist Convention, the 
American Bible Society, and other missionary and 
benevolent organizations. Revivals on the mission | 
field have been the direct result of definite prayer. 


The upheaval in the training-school at Kyoto, Japan, March 
16, 1883, whose influence has perhaps shaped the whole subse- 
quent Christian development of Japan, the outpoured floods 
in the Lone Star Mission among the Telugus, the movement 
among the Mahrattas in India on the first Monday in Jan- 
uary, 1833, the incidents of 1846 in Miss Fiske’s school at ~ 
Urumia, the work of Michaelis of the Gossner Society in Java, 
and the revival wave that swept over Turkey in 1888—all 
these had no sufficient explanation save that supplied by the — 
power of definite and believing prayer.’ 


2Speer, ‘‘ Missionary Principles and Practice.” 


Prayer for Missions 247 


The Church Missionary Society of England set a day 
for prayer for new missionaries in 1885, and on the 
evening before the appointed day one hundred uni- 
versity graduates offered themselves. The China In- 
land Mission prayed for one hundred new recruits to 
the missionary force in 1887, and exactly one hun- 
dred were secured. John G. Paton’s parents dedicated 
him at his birth “ to be consecrated, if God saw fit, 
as a missionary of the cross,” and they prayed con- 
stantly that he might be prepared, qualified, and led 
to decide for that service. Pastor Gossner sent out 
144 foreign missionaries, securing the money for 
their support through prayer. And so the story goes. 
These are but instances chosen almost at random. 
Clearly there is a power in prayer which can achieve 
mighty things in the extension of God’s kingdom. 


Education in Missionary Prayer 


Is education in missionary praying necessary? 
Ask yourself ‘these questions: Who are these “ mis- 
sionaries ” for whom I am to pray? What doI know 
about them? Where do they live? How do they 
live? Just what is “missionary work’? That is, 
what do missionaries do? What specific problems do 
missionaries face in these days, particularly the mis- 
sionaries of my own denomination? How does the 
missionary task differ in India, China, Mexico, 
Arabia, and other countries? What are some of the 
things that have been accomplished and what is 
there definitely yet to be done? Are there mission- 
aries enough? What are the qualifications of a mis- 
sionary? What are the “ idols ” that the ‘“ heathen ”’ 
worship, and in just what respects is Christianity 


248 Making a Missionary Church 


superior? Where in this country are the mission- 
aries of my denomination working? Among what 
peoples? With what success? Who are the secreta- 
ries in charge of my missionary work, and what are 
the problems they and the boards are facing? What 
has prayer accomplished in missions? For what 
objects do the missionaries ask us to pray? 

Of course any one can pray for missions and for 
missionaries even if he cannot answer any of these 
questions. But clearly the more you know of the. 
things these questions suggest, the more intelligently 
and definitely you will pray. And this means more 
interest in your praying, more earnestness when 
you pray, more frequent mention of missionary 
workers and their needs in your petitions, and 
probably more practical cooperation on your part 
as a result of your knowledge and your praying. | 
There would be a great deal more prayer if Chris-*, 
tians knew more about the persons and objects for 
which they pray. Prayer is what the missionary 
enterprise needs most of all, and everything that 
will make praying more attractive, and encourage 
more people to pray, is of the greatest importance. 
Surely, then, it is worth while for a minister to give 
some attention to the education of his members in > 
everything that will make for more and better and 
more intelligent praying for missions. And apart 
from the objective results of their prayers on the 
work itself, the development of their prayer life will _ 
of course react upon their own character, and be a | 
potent factor in their personal spiritual development. 
Here, then, is an attractive opportunity for the 
pastor. 


Prayer for Missions 249 





Some Great Examples of Prayer 


One thing that a minister can do to develop the 
missionary praying of his people is to remind them 
from time to time of some of those who have been 
great in prayer for missions. Try to induce them 
to such an experience as that which David Brainerd, 
missionary to the Indians, relates in his diary: 


God enabled me so to agonize in prayer that I was quite wet 
with perspiration, though in the shade and in the cool wind. 
My soul was drawn out very much from the world for multi- 
tudes of souls. 


The autobiography of John G. Paton of the New 
Hebrides is full of incidents like the following, show- 
ing Paton’s trust in prayer. His home had been de- 
stroyed by the savages and they were searching dili- 
gently for him to kill him. And the chief who had 
been protecting him refused to take the risk any 
longer and told him to go out and climb a certain 
chestnut tree and wait till the moon rose. 


I climbed into the tree, and was left there alone in the bush. 
I heard the frequent discharging of muskets and the yells of 
the savages. Yet I sat there among the branches, as safe in 
the arms of Jesus. Never, in all my sorrows, did my Lord 
draw nearer to me, and speak more soothingly in my soul, 
than when the moonlight flickered among these chestnut 
leaves, and the night air played on my throbbing brow, as I 
told all my heart to Jesus. 


How Educate the Church in Missionary Prayer 


There are at least three ways in which a church 
can be educated to pray, and to pray intelligently and 
with interest, for missions: 


250 Making a Missionary Church 





1. The Pastor’s Public Prayers. The most forceful 
way by which a pastor can teach his people to pray 
for the extension of the kingdom is by his own exam- 
ple. It would be well for every pastor to check him- 
self up once in a while and ask himself how often he 
brings missionary petitions into his pulpit prayers, 
what missionary objects he does mention, and how 
definite his missionary petitions are. Unfortunately, 
there are many live and earnest ministers who en- 
tirely overlook the opportunity their public prayers 
give them to bring the greatness of the Christian 
enterprise before their people and to suggest by 
their own example the importance of praying for 
its world-wide extension. No Sunday ought to pass 
without a prayer for the missionaries, mentioning 
some special needs of their own life or their work, 
or a prayer that Christians at home may realize their 
supreme mission to win the whole world to Christ, 
or an expression of thanksgiving and praise for the 
work God has done in turning the hearts and life 
of men of all races to himself, making the prayer 
concrete by the mention of one or two definite evi- 
dences of his advancing conquest. To a larger 
degree than many ministers realize, the outlook of 
the members of the congregation is determined by — 
what they hear their pastor pray for. They follow 
his leadership, and they note, almost unconsciously, 
the objects and the persons that he thinks worth 
including in the circle of his interest and petition, 
and their interest and prayers are largely limited to 
these. Definite missionary praying like this requires 
preparation, but preparation should be given to the 
prayers of a service as truly as to the sermon. And 


Prayer for Missions 251 





enough preparation to give definiteness and variety 
to the missionary portion of the prayer is abundantly 
worth while. The pastor will reap the rewards in 
broader Christian interest on the part of the people, 
increased prayer by them for their representatives 
in the missionary work of the church, and more ear- 
nest and more active Christian service. | 

Many of the great missionary prayers and other 
striking sayings of missionaries can be quoted in 
public prayer with great effectiveness, expressing 
the strong feelings of the minister, and turning the 
thought and interest of the people toward those other 
parts of the world and other nations that may be 
mentioned. Here are some of the quotations that 
may be culled from almost any missionary biog- 
raphy: 


While God gives me strength, failure shall not daunt me 
(Capt. Allen Gardiner). Let me fail in trying to do some- 
thing rather than to sit still and do nothing (Cyrus Ham- 
lin). The prospects are as bright as the promises of God 
(Adoniram Judson). We can do it if we will (Samuel J. 
Mills). Rock, Rock, when wilt thou open to my Saviour? 
(Francis Xavier before China). If America fail the world 
will fail (Edwards A. Park). If I had a thousand lives to 
live, Africa should have them all (Chas. F. Mackenzie). I 
have one passion; it is He, He alone (Count Zinzendorf). He 
who loves not, lives not; he who lives by the Life cannot die 
(Raymund Lull). Your love has a broken wing if it can- 
not fly across the ocean (Maltbie D. Babcock). Expect great 
things from God; attempt great things for God (William 
Carey). If you want to serve your race, go where no one 
else will go and do what no one else will do (Mary Lyon). 


These quotations can be multiplied a hundred times. 
They may be used effectively not only in prayer, but 


252 Making a Missionary Church 


in sermons, on the church calendar, in letters, in 
teaching, and in other ways. 

2. Instruction and Suggestions by the Pastor. A 
second means open to a church for securing an edu- 


cation in prayer is by definite instruction by the~, 
pastor. The midweek service offers a special oppor-s. 


tunity for this. It is traditionally a prayer-meeting. 
The spirit of the service is generally devotional. The 
pastor has the widest freedom in the selection of 
subjects and in the conducting of the service. | How 
to pray, and what to pray for, are natural topics for 
this service. A course of subjects on some such 
general theme as “ Kingdom Prayers,” or ‘‘ Thy 
Kingdom Come,” can be taken up, with such topics as 
these in succeeding weeks: What Jesus Prayed For, 
Some Great Results of Prayer, Prayer and the Ex- 
tension of the Kingdom, For Whom Shall We Pray, 
How to Pray Intelligently, How to Make Prayer 
Interesting. Or a series can be had on “ Great Men 
and Women of Prayer,” studying the prayer life of 
great leaders in the world’s conquest. Another sub- 
ject is “ A Practical Prayer Program,” considering 
different phases of the work of the kingdom which 
should be included in prayer. 


The best way to learn to walk is to walk. The best — 


way to learn to swim is to swim. And the best way, 
to learn to pray is to pray. The pastor can be as 
earnest as he likes in talking about prayer, and he 
can tell the most thrilling incidents he can find about 
the power of prayer, but unless he can actually enlist 
individuals in praying, he has failed. General exhor- 
tations and suggestions will accomplish little in this 
direction. His suggestions must be very definite. 


; 


Prayer for Missions 253 


For example, the pastor can occasionally mention 
in the midweek service a definite subject, or mission 
field, or missionary, give some concrete explanation, 
pointing out the location on the map, perhaps, or in 
some other way make the subject or person real, 
and ask for several prayers. The plan has been tried 
successfully of having a missionary prayer topic 
regularly each week. Sometimes it may be well to 
ask certain persons beforehand to be prepared to 
offer prayer for the missionary object. Printing the 
topic on the church calendar is helpful. A simple 
missionary cycle of prayer has been widely effective 
in enlisting members in definite missionary prayer. 
Some denominations or mission boards publish a 
prayer cycle or prayer almanac. These are very 
valuable. The best cycle of prayer is one that the 
local church itself puts out, which should include the 
pastor, the local work of the church, a few definite 
needs in the community, the names of any members 
who are missionaries, a few selected mission fields, 
which are in some way related to the church or some 
of its members, and certain definite missionary sub- 
jects that fit into the local interests, as educational 
work, medical work, missionary cooperation, etc. 
Make the appeal for missionary prayer as definite 
and concrete as possible and closely tied up to the 
things that already interest the members. Do not 
be satisfied with talking about prayer, but take prac- 
tical measures to get the people, a few at first, then 
others, actually praying for the great interests of 
God’s world-wide kingdom. 

\ 3. Brble-school Teaching. A third principal means 
for the church’s education in missionary prayer is 


254 Making a Missionary Church 





offered by the Bible school. Instruction in prayer 
may be assumed to be a part of the curriculum. Does 
this include instruction in missionary praying? It 
ought to, surely. For unless the teaching includes 
the most effective force for establishing the kingdom 
of Christ and presents to the pupils the possibilities 
of its far-flung influence in the widest ranges of the 
kingdom, it is seriously incomplete. Does. every 
school actually have a study of prayer? How many 
give their pupils any adequate conception of the mis- 
sionary value of prayer? For example, how many 
have a study of the teachings of Jesus regarding 
prayer for the kingdom? How many present con- 
cretely some of the great results of prayer in the 
extension of the kingdom? Or show how modern 
apostles to the Gentiles have prayed? Or suggest 
some of the peoples and some of the missionaries and 
some of the objects for which to pray? Or point out 
the problems in the building of the kingdom that 
baffle human wisdom and call for the divine help that 
is made available as God’s people pray? These 
things ought not to be left to the minister’s sermons, 
or the testimonies of a few of the faithful at the mid- 
week service. Most of the children and young people 
will not hear these. Moreover, to teach how to pray, — 
and how to pray large prayers, is surely a duty the 
church owes its children, and the obvious place for 
such teaching, like every other teaching concerning 
the Christian life, is the Bible school. It would bea 
surprising experience to most pastors and superin- 
tendents to examine the courses of study in their 
school with this subject in mind, and to find how 
little attention is paid to prayer, and especially how 


Prayer for Missions 255 


limited and narrow is the view of the objects and 
reach of prayer. The curriculum of the church 
school is defective at a vital point if it does not give 
full place to a study of prayer as a means of helping 
Christ to win the world. 

But actions speak louder than words, and learning 
by doing is the most effective way of learning. The 
world-kingdom ought to find frequent mention in the 
devotional service of the school and of every depart- 
ment. The prayer hymn should often be a mission- 
ary one. The prayers ought to bring the subject to 
the pupils’ attention. The missionary petitions 
should be concrete and definite. Different countries 
and varying forms of work should be brought into 
view. References to Christ’s missionary prayer, 
“Thy kingdom come,” his Great Commission ‘‘ Go 
ye,” his promises with a “ whosoever,’’ Paul the mis- 
sionary, the Gentiles or heathen of today, these help 
to tie up missions to the Bible, and give authority to 
the missionary enterprise in the minds of the pupils 
as they hear these things mentioned in prayer. And 
the example of the leader in praying for missionaries 
and the missionary enterprise is bound to stimulate 
the praying of the pupils in that direction. ‘ Like 
priest, like people ”’; like superintendent, like pupils. 

Then, too, do not forget the value of learning to 
pray by praying. If the devotional service of your 
school or its departments provides for participation 
by the various classes, as it should, you have the 
opportunity, if you are pastor or superintendent or 
teacher, to suggest a few of the great missionary 
themes for including in the prayers of classes. If 
the classes have prayer in their classrooms, teachers 


256 Making a Missionary Church 


can teach missionary praying with unequaled effec- 
tiveness by leading the class to remember different 
objects of need in extending the kingdom to “the ut- 
termost parts of the earth.” And for the private pray- 
ing of the pupils every teacher should make sugges- 
tions, giving practical help in making their prayers 
interesting, concrete, unselfish, and missionary. 
For example, teachers who read the newspapers with 
a thought of the meaning of events to the kingdom 
of God can effectively suggest to their pupils situa- 
tions and events in the world as matters for prayer. 
This can be done informally at the beginning of the 
class session. The church school offers very wide 
opportunities for education in missionary prayer, 
the more effective because the school reaches those 
whose ideas and Christian habits are in the forma- 
tive stage, and because it has a definite, systematic, 
thoroughgoing task of educating in the Christian 
life. : 


Growing Prayer 


There is one other thing to be said. Pastors, su- 
perintendents, teachers, and other leaders, should be 
on the lookout continually to see that in their teach- 
ing and example prayer is ever growing to be 
a bigger thing. It should have an ever-widening 
horizon. Its outreach should be continually growing. 
New needs, new persons, new peoples, new experi- 
ences, should be coming within the reach of its inter- 
ests and feeling the touch of its power. How many 
people pray for the same things every day and every 
year—the same folks, the same work! You can 
recognize some public prayers as those you heard 


Prayer for Missions 257 


years and years ago. But prayer ought to be an 
expanding life, ever larger, ever broader, ever 
more inclusive. See that your church, your school, 
your class, prays for new objects each year. Test 
them occasionally, and thus test yourself. See 
whether they have become interested in new needs 
and new missionaries. And introduce those whom 
you have under your care to others in the enlarging 
fellowship of prayer and need. All this means that 
your own prayers should grow. Read, study, think, 
do anything that will help you to make the power of 
your prayers reach more people and transform more 
life. Prayer is a mighty force that God has made 
available to us, and we must use it to the full and 
to the widest extent. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 


R. E. Diffendorfer, ‘“‘ Thy Kingdom Come ” (Prayers 
by Christians of Many Lands). Missionary Edu- 
cation Movement. 25 cents. 


XV 
ORGANIZING A MISSIONARY CHURCH 


The Church Itself a Missionary Society 


It was shown in the first chapter that the purpose 
of the church, of every local church, is missionary. 
That makes every church a missionary organization. 
If it is properly organized it does not need much 
special machinery in caring for its missionary work. 
The chief problem is not erecting efficient missionary 
organization, but getting the church, or its leaders, 
to see that the main business of the church is mis- 
sions; that missionary education, missionary giving, 
missionary prayer, missionary activity, are an inte- 
gral part of the church’s work, to be planned for 
as seriously and intelligently as worship, or evan- _ 
gelism, or community service. The less special mis- % 


sionary organization the better. Missionary socie- — 


ties suggest that missions is a subject of optional — 
interest, something additional to the regular work 
of the church, a concern of some of the members, but 
not an essential thing, like worship or evangelism. 
There is no special organization for these; the 
church as a whole engages in them. ‘So the more the 
regular organization and departments of the church 
can be utilized in the missionary work of the church 
the better.) And most churches have organization 
enough for all their work, local and missionary. The 
pastor and his board of deacons, elders, or stewards 
should make the general missionary plans, as they 
258 


Organizing a Missionary Church 259 





plan for other phases of the church’s work. The 
plans can be worked out in Bible school, children’s 
clubs, young people’s and woman’s societies, men’s 
brotherhood and the church at large. Details of the 
general plan, coordinating of the missionary educa- 
tion and activities of the various departments of the 
church, and oversight of the missionary work as a \ 
whole, needs a missionary committee of the church. 
This committee is really the only special missionary 
organization that most churches need. The denomi- 
national plans, however, in many cases, call for cer- 
tain special missionary societies, and a church should 
usually fall in with the plans of the denomination. 
Nevertheless, organizing a special society for the 
development of missionary interest and the carrying 
on of missionary activities, while intensifying these 
for the limited: number participating in them, shuts 
out from missionary knowledge and activity those 
who for any reason do not join, and develops the im- 
pression, as already pointed out, that missions is a 
matter quite optional, belonging only to those who 
are interested in the subject. It is far better to have 
a woman’s society that includes missions as one of 
several activities than to have a woman’s mission- 
ary society ; it is better to include missions in the cur- 
riculum and work of the church school and of the 
young people’s society than to have special mission- 
ary circles for the children and young people. What 
we said at the beginning of this section should be 
kept in mind: The less special organization the bet- 
ter; use the regular organization of the church as 
far as possible; make missions an integral part of 
the church program. 


260 Making a Missionary Church 





The Church Board a Missionary Committee 


Whatever special organization seems necessary, 
the church board, deacons, elders, stewards, should \ 
think of themselves as a missionary committee for 
the whole church. This is not affected by the fact \ 
that the church has a missionary committee. The 
latter works out in detail the policies which the 
church board decides upon; the church board has 
the responsibility for determining these policies, 
under the direction of the church, and of caring for 
the missionary interests of the church as it cares 
for all other interests. The missionary plan of the 
church should be formulated under the board’s 
direction;! the various communications of the de- 
nominational missionary boards should be brought 
before it for consideration ; the detailed plans of the 
missionary committee should be discussed by the — 
board from time to time; and the whole missionary 
situation in the church, as to education, offerings, 
prayer, activities, should be reviewed regularly, once - 
a month or once in two months. The members of 
the board should feel themselves related to the work 
of the church in the largest way, and should recog- 
nize their responsibility for this most far-reaching 
part of the church’s task, not allowing themselves to 
suppose that because there are missionary societies 
in the church this part of the work belongs to those 
societies. Let the members of the church board, 
whatever its name, think of themselves as a com- 
mittee on missions, as they think of themselves as a 
committee on devotional life, church services, and 

1 See Chapter II. : 


Organizing a Missionary Church 261 


evangelism, and the church is bound to be a mis- 
Sionary church. 


Success Depends on the Pastor 


The attitude of the church board toward the 
church’s missionary work depends upon the attitude 
of the pastor. And as the missionary development 
of the church depends on the plans and leadership 
of the board, the pastor, here as elsewhere, is the 
key to the situation. He largely determines what 
will be considered at the meetings of the board. And 
these meetings are too important to be left to chance 
thought as to what shall be brought up for discus- 
sion. At the board meetings all phases of the 
church’s work and life should regularly be con- 
sidered, and the pastor should survey the whole field 
and bring into each meeting a program of various 
phases and departments of the church’s work. 
Among these is the church’s missionary work. It 
is the pastor’s responsibility first of all to bring his 
deacons, or elders, to a realization of the importance 
of the missionary plans of the church, and of the 
central relation they hold toward the success of those 
plans and the kingdom-wide relation of the church. 
This he can do in his conduct of the meetings of the 
board. What we said in Chapter IV regarding the 
training of the church officers applies here. Tact- 
ful but energetic and persistent efforts must be made 
by the pastor until the board sees and feels its re- 
sponsibility and opportunity toward the great world- 
wide work of their church. Not till this is achieved 
can the church hope for full success in its mission- 
ary organization and missionary development. 


262 Making a Missionary Church 


The Church Missionary Committee 


To work out in details the missionary policy and 
plan of the church, and to carry these plans into 
execution, there should be a missionary committee. 
This committee should be a regular standing commit- 
tee of the church, appointed annually like other 
officers and committees. It should consist of a chair- 
man, with the chairman of the missionary commit- 
tees of the Sunday school and of the young people’s 
society, the president of the woman’s missionary 
society, or the presidents of both home and foreign 
societies if there are two, and one or two members- 
at-large. If there is one woman’s society represent- 
ing all phases of woman’s work in the church, the 
chairman of the missionary section or committee 
should be a member of the church missionary com- 
mittee. If the school has a missionary superinten- 
dent or a director of missionary activities, he or she 
should be the representative of the school on the 
committee. In brief, all missionary interests should 
be represented ex officio in the committee’s member- 
ship, together with a chairman and one or two others 
representing the church as a whole. The members 
should include both men and women, and the chair- | 
man may be either a man ora woman. The careful 
selection of the chairman is of the greatest impor- 
tance. He should not be one of the ex-officio mem- 
bers, but should be able to represent all departments 
and all groups. He should be interested in the mis- 
sionary work of the kingdom, though he may not 
previously have been active in missionary work. He 
should be a good organizer and executive, able to lead 


Organizing a Missionary Church 263 


the committee in planning and able to enlist the 
members and others in specific tasks. It is not at all 
necessary for him to be a good speaker; his work is 
to be done in committee, not on the platform. Above 
all he must be one who can be depended upon, not 
easily discouraged, one who will stick to his task, 
give time and thought to it, and work harmoniously 
with the pastor and his fellow committeemen. Of 
course, perfection is not to be expected, but the suc- 
cess or failure of the missionary program of the 
church hinges, next to the pastor, upon the chairman 
of the missionary committee; hence the greatest 
care is necessary in choosing this important leader. 
It will not do to appoint some one who is just “ in- 
terested,” or simply a good talker, or one who under- 
takes a piece of work and then lies down on his job. 
Get the very best man or woman in the whole church 
for this most important position. 

The committee should meet at least monthly, on 
a regular date, and every member should set this 
date apart sacredly for this meeting. The chairman, 
if he is wise, can readily get his committee to feel 
this sense of responsibility. To do so he will need 
to make it worth while for the members to attend. 
Do not meet after prayer-meeting; you will need a 
whole evening if your committee is doing what it 
ought to be doing. The chairman should plan each 
meeting carefully. Some of the most hopeful things 
in the church’s missionary development should be 
presented at the beginning of the meeting, with a 
very brief review of a few outstanding missionary 
events reported during the month in the missionary 
magazines or the daily papers. Then each phase of 


264. Making a Missionary Church 





the committee’s work should be discussed and defi- 
nite plans made for the succeeding month. Do not 
let any difficulty pass without trying to find a solu- 
tion, and see that every member of the committee 
goes away encouraged and optimistic. 
Each member of the committee should have some 
definite responsibility. Of course those who officially 
represent various organizations are responsible for 
those parts of the missionary plans which affect 
those organizations, but the plans for other depart- 
ments and groups not represented and for the church 
as a whole should also be put in charge of different 
members of the committee. Make plans which will 
eventually cover the whole field, but do not begin 
with too much. Undertake a few things that you can 
surely carry through, then add others from time to 
time as needs and opportunities appear. It is not 
necessary to go into detail regarding the work of the 
committee. Suggestions have been made elsewhere 
in this book, and here we only list some of the differ- 
ent things that the committee should plan for: co- 
ordination of missionary plans of various groups in 
the church according to the church’s unified mission- 
ary plan; missionary courses as an integral part of 
the Bible-school curriculum; missionary reading- | 
courses or contests; mission-study classes and dis- 
cussion groups; a church school of missions; mis- 
sionary library; missionary museum; missionary 
information in the church calendar; missionary pic- 
tures and announcements on the bulletin-board; 
missionary literature table; correspondence with 
missionaries; missionary recruits; missions in social 
gatherings; subscriptions to missionary magazine 


Organizing a Missionary Church 265 


and promotion of its reading; promotion of general 
missionary reading; enlistment of parents in mis- 
sionary education at home; community missionary 
work; cooperation with finance committee in arrang- 
ing every-member canvass; development of mission- 
ary prayer. These and other plans are outlined in 
various chapters of this book. It is clear that the 
missionary committee has plenty to do. No commit- 
tee in the church should take itself more seriously. 
There is no limit to the plans and possibilities of the 
committee and its work. 


Organizing the Church School for Missions 


The missionary plans of the church school should 
be worked out in coordination with those of other 
departments and organizations and with those of the 
church as a whole. Its missionary organization 
should be coordinated with the church missionary 
organization. The school should have a missionary 
committee, or a missionary superintendent or direc- 
tor of missionary activities; all of these are used 
effectively by successful schools. The chairman of 
the committee, or whoever is immediately respon- 
sible for missions in the school, should be ex officio a 
member of the church missionary committee, sub- 
mitting the school missionary plans to that commit- 
tee from time to time and taking part with other 
members in the responsibilities, plans, and activities 
of the committee. 

The missionary plans for the school should be 
worked out by the Sunday-school missionary com- 
mittee or director and should include education, wor- 
ship, and service. They should be in harmony with 


266 Making a Missionary Church 


the general missionary plans of the church and 
should have the approval of the superintendent. 
The principal educational plans in the Sunday school 
should be directed toward the inclusion of missionary 
teaching as a regular, integral part of the school 
curriculum. Where that is not yet possible the mis- 
sionary director can introduce supplemental instruc- 
tion, such as a missionary story told from the plat- 
form; but the director or committee should not be 
satisfied until missions is not regarded as an extra but 
recognized as a vital part of the religious education 
of the pupils. Suggestions regarding the place of 
missions in the curriculum are given in Chapter VII. 

More than simply including missions as one of the 
subjects studied is necessary, however, if the boys 
and girls and young people are to be imbued with 
the missionary spirit. The teachers must be mis- 
sionary. They must understand and recognize the 
fundamental place of missions in the Bible and in 
Christianity, and must be in earnest in trying to in- 
culcate in their pupils the missionary spirit of Jesus. — 
Otherwise their missionary instructions will be 
limited to missionary courses and their teaching of 
those courses will be more or less formal. Perhaps 
the most important task to be undertaken by the mis- 
sionary director or missionary committee, as it may 
be the most difficult, is the missionary training of the 
teachers of the school, so that they will bring out the 
missionary application of other lessons than those 
labeled “‘ missionary ’’and will use missionary illus- 
trations in their teaching; in other words, make 
missions the big thing in their own Christian experi- 
ence and in their teaching, as it is the big thing in 


Organizing a Missionary Church 267 


Christianity. There are various ways of doing this. 
One is by an occasional talk to the teachers in the 
teachers’ meeting or workers’ conference, by the 
missionary director or chairman or by an outside 
speaker. If this can take the form of a conference 
or forum it will be more effective. If the superin- 
tendent is thoroughly interested, he can put in a per- 
suasive word now and then. Another plan is a mis- 
sionary-study class for teachers in the church school 
of missions. <A reading-course for the teachers, 
which shall include a good selection of missionary 
books, is helpful. Better still is a special effort to 
enlist every teacher in the reading-course or contest 
of the church or its departments. If classes take a 
book to read, as suggested in Chapter IX, the teach- 
ers will readily undertake to read with their pupils. 
Still another plan is personal conference. This may 
take more time, but may be the most fruitful. Make 
a definite appointment with a teacher, or with two 
or three if advisable, explain that you as missionary 
director simply want to help the teachers and in no 
way direct their work, point out the fundamental 
missionary character of the Bible and of Chris- 
tianity, and tactfully make suggestions, discussing 
the difficulties and possibilities. An informal con- 
ference of this kind with the teachers of a depart- 
ment, or of classes of girls or boys of about the same 
age, can well be had. 

Suggestions regarding worship and service have 
already been made.? It is very important that in 
planning the missionary organization of the school 
these be fully considered. It is of course essential 

2 Chapters VII and X, 


268 Making a Missionary Church 


that the warm support of the superintendent or of 
the department superintendents be secured in efforts 
to make the devotional services missionary. With 
their help it will not be difficult to make the worship 
of the school a very definite help in the missionary 
training of the pupils. The enlistment of the mem- 
bers of the school in missionary service is one of the 
most important and one of the easiest tasks. of the 
missionary committee or director. Cooperation with 
the various young people’s societies, clubs, and other 
similar organizations is important. Many of the 
activities of the members of the school are carried 
on in these organizations rather than in connection 
with the school as such, and it is not necessary to 
duplicate what they are doing. Tactful suggestion 
will secure the introduction of some missionary 
activities; others can be arranged for classes 
through the teachers. 


Organizing the Women for Missions 


The best organization for the women is one 
society, which includes all their activities, local and 
missionary. This is decidedly preferable to having 
a separate missionary society—certainly to having 
two, home and foreign, as some churches have. | 
Making missions one with other interests of the so- 
ciety emphasizes the fact that it is not something 
special, apart from the general work of the church, 
but an integral part of that work. Many more wo- 
men can be secured as members of a general woman’s 
society than for a separate missionary society, and 
all get the benefit of the united program, including 
missions. 


| Organizing a Missionary Church 269 


The society should have a missionary committee, 
whose chairman should be a member of the mission- 
ary committee of the church. Special care should 
be taken to secure a strong leader for the chairman- 
ship, that the society’s missionary work may be of 
the highest possible order. For though missions is 
but one of the lines of work followed by the united 
society, its importance is so great that no woman 
should be selected for missionary committee chair- 
man who is simply interested in missions, but one 
who has education and qualities of leadership, and is 
able to prepare programs and to organize the mis- 
sionary activities of the women. The committee’s 
work includes, in general, oversight of the mission- 
ary interests of the society, to see that in the pro- 
gram of meetings and work missions is given ade- 
quate recognition. More particularly, the committee 
should prepare programs for meetings, organize 
mission-study classes and reading-courses, promote 
the use of missionary literature, enlist the women in 
missionary giving, organize Christian Americaniza- 
tion work for peoples of other nationalities in the 
community, and in general do for the women what 
is suggested in the various chapters of this book for 
the whole church. Of course, all that is done should 
be done in cooperation with the church missionary 
committee and in harmony with the unified mis- 
sionary plan of the church. That is the reason for 
having the chairman of the committee a member of 
the church missionary committee. The various lines 
of work suggested may be delegated to different 
members of the committee, but the committee should 
meet regularly and consider all phases of its work. 


270 Making a Missionary Church 


Organizing the Men for Missions 


The women have emphasized missions, and the men 
have left the subject to them. That has been the 
situation so long that it is difficult for the men in 
most churches to feel that missionary work is some- 
thing that belongs to them, for which they are re- 
sponsible and with which they should be familiar. 
The solution of the difficulty is twofold: Treat mis- 
sions as an integral part of the whole church’s work, 
and present the subject to the men from their point 
of view and from the standpoint of their interests. 
The missionary committee of the church should in- 
clude several men, and if possible the chairman 
should be a man. If there is a men’s organization, 
it should have on the committee a representative 
chosen by themselves. That will make them feel that 
the committee definitely represents them and that 
the committee’s work is their work. 

Their representative should be responsible for the 
promotion of missionary interest among the men, 
in cooperation with the other departments of the 
church. If the work of the men’s organization 
is under the direction of various committees, it 
should have a missionary committee, perhaps called 
the World Fellowship Committee or something simi- 
lar. This committee will develop such missionary 
activities as may be wise and practicable, emphasiz- 
ing missionary information. If the men are not 
organized, a man should be chosen to serve on the 
church missionary committee who will be responsi- 
ble for work among the men. It is not important 
that he officially represent the men, but it is very 


| Organizing a Missionary Church 271 


important that he be a man whom the men like and 
whom they will follow, a leader who understands 
men and who can get them to do things. There are 
a few plans that should be vigorously pushed. One 
is to get the men of the church to inform themselves 
on missions. Most of the pamphlet literature is 
prepared from the point of view of the women. 
There is a great need for folders and booklets pre- 
senting missions from the standpoint of interests 
with which men are closely related. If your mission 
boards publish that kind of literature, connecting 
missions with business, for example, or politics, or 
social conditions, or education, it can be used with 
great effectiveness. But not indiscriminately. The 
right kind of matter should be selected for different 
men. Regular follow-up methods should be used, 
and advantage taken of subjects of current interest. 
When the time is right, efforts should be made to 
enlist the men in more serious educational plans. A 
missionary reading plan for the whole church will 
interest the men if their part of the plan is handled 
by a live man and the books chosen are of real 
interest to men. If a church school of missions is 
held, there should be a class or discussion group for 
men, led by a man, presenting the subject from the 
point of view of men’s interests. In educating the 
men in missions good use can be made of the church 
calendar, the bulletin-board, the literature table, and 
visits of missionaries. 

Stewardship education should not be neglected, in-_ | 
cluding its financial side. Every man should be 
enlisted in missionary giving. Definite plans for 
developing missionary praying should be carefully 


212 Making a Missionary Church 


made, as for example, arranging for the pastor to 
call on certain selected men to pray for specific sub- 
jects in the church prayer-meeting. By all means 
do not neglect the men in organizing your church 
for missions. 


The Young People’s Society 


Missions in the young people’s society has already 
been discussed in the chapter on Young People and 
the Social Life, so no extended consideration of 
organization plans is needed here. The two impor- 
tant things are, first, a missionary committee, whose 
chairman shall be a member of the church mission- 
ary committee, and second, the coordination of the 
society’s missionary plans with those of the church 
and of other young people’s groups like the Bible 
school. Effort should be made by the committee to 
enlist members of the society in the missionary- 
service plans of the church, as well as to secure a 
very general participation in the society’s own plans 
on the part of members. It is of great importance 
that the committee be linked closely with the mis- 
sionary committee of the church through the chair- 
man, so that the plans of the society may not be made 
independently, as is so often done, but be an integral 
part of the missionary plan of the church. In 
organizations for younger groups the missionary 
plans will be under the direction of the leader, with 
such committees or other helpers as seems wise. 
The leader should see that the missionary plans of 
the organization harmonize with those of the church. 
If the denominational plans call for special mission- 
ary societies of the young people or children, these 


Organizing a Missionary Church 273 





should be coordinated with the church school and so 
far as possible be made up of whole classes or depart- 
ments as such. | 


Maintain a Unified Plan 


We have spoken again and again of the impor- 
tance of having the missionary organization of the 
various societies and departments related organi- 
cally to the missionary committee of the church and 
of having the missionary plans of all the organiza- 
tions in harmony with the church missionary plan. 
Let us emphasize it once more. The chief point of 
weakness in the organizing and planning of mis- 
sionary education and activities in most churches is 
the lack of coordination and unity, and so lack of 
thoroughness and comprehensiveness. It is essential ». 
that missions be recognized as an enterprise of the 
whole church. So whatever the way in which mis- 
sionary work is organized in the various depart- 
ments or societies, see that it is all coordinated in the 
missionary organization of the church itself. “Every 


missionary agency in the church should be directly _, 


related to the church missionary committee, and the 
committee should include a representative of every 
organization or group of organizations in the church. 
This will make certain a comprehensive missionary 
policy in the church... One unified plan of missionary 
education, devotion, and activity can be developed 
for the whole church, covering in a progressive way 
the whole field of missions, and through the repre-— 
sentatives of the different departments and societies 
every organization can be included in the program 
in its natural and proper place. If the idea of a 


274, Making a Missionary Church 





unified plan is adopted, in organization and program, 
the details of method will readily work themselves 
out. This is the primary and essential thing. 


The Missionary Treasurer 


Every church should have two treasurers, one for 
local church funds, the other for missionary funds. 
If the work of each is thoroughly and properly done, 
two persons are needed to take care of the twofold 
work. It has to be said, too, that in many churches 
where there is but one treasurer, he and the finance 
committee or trustees have sometimes been unable 
to resist the temptation to use the money contributed | 
for missions in paying local church bills. This is 
like using the money contributed for the poor at the - 
communion service to pay the janitor’s salary. In 
fact, it is rank dishonesty, as the money is contri- 
buted for a definite object and the contributors 
expect it to go to that object. The safeguard is a 
separate treasurer for missionary funds.’ Moreover, 
the separate missionary treasurer emphasizes the < 
importance of missions. This is now the accepted 
plan in all well-organized churches. 

If it be doubted whether there is enough work for 
a missionary treasurer, consider the following — 
duties: Keeping accurate account of pledges and 
weekly receipts, remitting monthly to the various 
boards the proportionate amounts due them, follow- 
ing up pledges with statements, letters, and personal 
conferences, keeping informed on the needs of the 
different forms of work included in the church’s 
beneficence and on the general denominational finan- 
cial situation, conferring with the church finance 


Organizing a Missionary Church 275 


committee so that they will feel a responsibility for 
the missionary funds as well as those for local 
church expense, and informing the church frequently 
regarding the missionary finances of the church and 
the needs of the mission fields. Here is a full-sized 
job for the ablest man who can be secured. 


The Secretary of Literature 


If a church has a missionary committee that is 
fully organized, one of its members will be responsi- 
ble for keeping acquainted with current missionary 
literature and for promoting its circulation and use 
throughout the whole church in accordance with the 
general church plans. If there is no missionary com- 
mittee, or if the committee does not include in its 
plans the circulation of literature, a secretary of 
literature should be appointed by the church. Some- 
times a beginning has to be made with an appoint- 
ment by the woman’s society or some other organiza- 
tion, but as soon as possible action should be secured 
by the church itself so that all departments of the 
church may be reached with the literature. 

The work of the secretary of literature is exceed- 
ingly important, and one should be chosen for this 
position who reads, who has discriminating judg- 
ment as to what will interest various individuals and 
groups, and who has ability in presenting the litera- 
ture publicly and in persuading people to read. This 
is in outline the literature secretary’s task. He 
should keep informed on the best and latest mission- 
ary books and pamphlets, home and foreign, for both 
young and old. He or she will attend conferences 
and conventions to see the literature exhibited, ex- 


276 Making a Missionary Church 


amining it, asking questions, and making notes. 
Book-stores will be visited to see the latest books on 
mission lands and peoples, and the public library 
will be a familiar resort for the same purpose. Re- 
views of the latest books will also be followed in the 
missionary magazines and general periodicals. 
Some denominations have a literature subscription 
plan, bringing the subscriber every new pamphlet 
published throughout the year. This should be pro- 
vided by the church for the secretary of literature. 
Thus in every way he should become an authority on 
missionary literature. It is then his business—or 
hers, if a woman—to see to the circulation of suit- 
able books and pamphlets among different groups, 
young and old, men, women, and children. Some 
pamphlets will be distributed free, others will be 
sold. If possible a reading-course will be started, 
getting various members to donate a book from a 
list recommended by the secretary of literature. The 
reading-course plan, with its tally of points for books 
read, is the best way of enlisting readers. Of course, 
the men will not be overlooked. If the literature sec- 
retary is a woman, she should enlist the men through 
one of their number. In fact the literature secretary 
will need to work in the various organizations and © 
groups largely through representatives in those 
groups. Individual effort will be used, occasional 
public announcement will be made in prayer-meeting 
or elsewhere, the bulletin-board, the church calen- 
dar, and the literature table will be utilized—every 
method that can be thought of will be tried diplo- 
matically and persistently to get missionary litera- 
ture into the hands of the members of the church and 


Organizing a Missionary Church 277 


to get it read. This is the task of the secretary of 
missionary literature, and the opportunities are un- 
limited. It is fundamental to all the missionary 
work of the church, for interest depends on knowl- 
edge. In all the missionary organization of the 
church the secretary of literature (the name is un- 
important) is the chief essential. A full organiza- 
tion and an adequate program require a missionary 
committee; and proper care of the missionary funds 
needs a treasurer of benevolences. But even if 
neither of these can be had, a secretary of literature 
can be elected or appointed, if not by the church or 
the church board, at least by some organization in 
the church; or some one who appreciates the impor- 
tance of information can undertake the work unoffi- 
cially, leaving official appointment to come later 
when the value of the work shall be evident. 


Reports 


A word about reports. They are not the most 
important thing, by far. Some officers and some 
committees seem to feel that their work is satisfac- 
torily done if they present a report at the proper 
time in the proper form. And denominational offi- 
cers often lay too much emphasis on reports. But 
reports are important. In the first place, they help 
the persons or committees making them to check up 
on themselves and see where they have succeeded 
and where they have been weak. In the second 
place, they provide a record of things attempted and 
accomplished which will help in future plans. In 
the third place, they maintain close contact with the 
organization or officer to whom the person or com- 


278 Making a Missionary Church 





mittee reporting is responsible. The missionary 
committee and other missionary officers should each 
present a written report at stated intervals to the 
church or the church board. The chairman of the 
missionary committee should also see that reports 
are sent regularly by the church and its organiza- 
tions or departments to the proper denominational 
officers or boards. 


Making the Plans Work 


We have tried in this book to present the best 
plans of missionary organization and missionary 
work for the church and its various departments, 
plans approved by successful use and good results. 
But no plans will work by themselves. You can have 
a splendidly organized missionary committee, with 
all the approved lines of work, each assigned to the 
responsibility of an efficient member of the commit- 
tee. You may have an able director of missions in 
the church school. ~You may have literature table, 
bulletin-board, calendar, museum cabinet, and all 
the other equipment for aggressive missionary edu- 
cation and effort. But unless there is a deep-seated, 
controlling love for Christ, a great desire to have 
others know him, and an eagerness that he shall — 
reign over all hearts and lives in a world-wide king- 
dom, the plans will bear no fruition. Their novelty 
may carry them along for a time, but soon they will 
lose their interest and missionary work will cease 
or become formal. All who are related to the mis- 
sionary organization of the church may not have an ~ 
absorbing passion for Christ and his kingdom, but 
some one must have it if the plans are to succeed. 


Organizing a Missionary Church 279 


The pastor first of all must be on fire for God. He 
may know little of the technique of missions, and 
may not be thoroughly educated in missionary his- 
tory and current methods, but if he has a burning 
zeal for God and Christ, he will be missionary in 
spirit and will provide the impetus and faith essen- 
tial to making the church a missionary force. The 
chairman of the church missionary committee ought 
to be one whom God has touched in this way. So 
also others in places of responsibility. The chief 
element in the making of a missionary church is love 
for Jesus Christ. Methods of organization fade into 
unimportance beside this. Plans for education, for 
worship, for activity, will not want for impetus and 
zeal with this motive controlling pastor and leaders. 
“The love of Christ constraineth us.” This is the 
watch-cry of every missionary church. 





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INDEX 





INDEX 


Administration, cost of, 199. 


Baptist Young People’s Union, 


oo. 

Bible: missionary study. of, 50; 
missionary interpretation of, 
94; missions in, 71, 94, 101, 
109, 

Bible school. 
School.’’) 

Books, 161. 

Books, for children, 85. 

Boy Scouts, 139. 

Brotherhood, and parents, 84. 

Bulletin-board, 154. 


Calendar, 154. 

Camp Fire Girls, 139. 

Charts, 185. 

Children: book-reading contest 
for, 162; books for, 85; infiu- 
enced by parents, 80; talks to, 
88, 100. 

Christian development in purpose 
of church, 4. 

Christian Endeavor Society, 133. 

Chureh and missionaries, 188. 

Church: a missionary society, 6, 
258; a recruiting agency, 213; 
missionary survey of, 47; pur- 
pose of, 1; responsible for 
training, 81. 

Chureh school: and parents, 84; 
education of, in prayer, 253; 
little attention to missions in, 
109, 111; most § important 
place for missionary training, 
108; organizing, for missions, 
265. 

Chureh school curriculum: mis- 
sions should be central in, 109: 
suggested missfonary course in, 
114, 


(See “Church 


Colleges in pastor's 
training, 39, 

Community: missionary 
1763; service in 
church, 4. 

Criticisms of boards, 199. 


missionary 


work, 
purpose of 


Denominational: esprit de corps, 
211; meetings, 207; program, 
105, 209. 

Devotional service, 
124, 

Dramatization, 120, 1386, 144. 


missions in, 


Education, aim of, 174. 

BHpworth League, 133. 

Evangelism in purpose of church, 
3. 

Every-member canvass, 186, 237. 

Family devotions, 89. 

Foreign nationalities, 
with, 147. 


Games, 87, 145. 

Girl Scouts, 159. 

Giving: education in, 231; in 
church missionary plan, 21; 
methods of, 237; proper ob- 
jects of, 284; the essence of 
missions, 228. 


evenings 


Heroic, appeal of, 226. 

Hymns, missionary, 124. 
Illustrations, 98. 

Impersonations, 136. 

Institutes, young people at, 136. 
International outlook, 39. 


Junior society, and missions, 126: 
leader of, 136. 


Knights of King Arthur, 132. 


Leadership, qualifications fer, 68, 
V7. 


283 


284 


Index 





Letters, to missionaries, 89, 192. 

Library, 165. 

Literature: for children, 85; for 
ebureh officers, 75; for parents, 
85; secretary of, 275; table, 
158; use of, 156. 


Maps, 104, 186, 185. 

Men: in every member canvass, 
237; organizing, for missions, 
270. 

Missionary: church’s own, 193; 
furlough of, 195; or mission, 
196. 

Missionary activities needed, 18. 

Missionary committee: of church, 
262; of Young People’s So- 
ciety, 154. 

Missionary education: continuous, 
151; director of, 119; in 
church missionary plan, 20; in- 
cluded in religious education, 
15; needed by all departments, 
16. 

Missionary Education Movement, 
136. 

Missionary service: call to, 214; 


kinds of, 218; qualifications 
for, 217; relation of parents 
to, 223. 

Missionaries: getting acquainted 
with, 179; keeping in touch 


with, 190, 192; letters to, 89. 
Mission boards: knowing, 197; 
problems of, 202; using, 205. 

Mission circle, 136. 

Mission study course for pastor, 
45. 

Money: value of, 229, 231; why 
needed in missions, 230. 

Museum, 182. 


Needs, relieving definite, 180. 
News, 153. 
Newspaper, 167. 


Officers: class for, 74; in mis- 
sionary activity, 77; literature 
for, 75: missionary responsibil- 
ity of, 11; need training, 66; 
what trained, can do, 69. 


. Pastors: 


Official board: a missionary com- 
mittee, 260; and plan of church 
missionary work, 24; respon- 
sible for all work of church, 
72. 

Official board meetings: mission 
study in, 73; missions in, 70; 
prayer in, 71. 


Pamphlets, 156. 

Parents: church responsible for, 
81; growing with children, 90; 
influence of, on children, 80; 
relation of, to missionary edu- 
cation, 80; responsibility of, for 
children’s missionary call, 223; 
training of, 80. 

Pastor: and. missionary study of 
Bible, 50; duty of, to sound 
missionary call, 220; key to 
missionary problem, 35; mis- 
Sionary library of, 58; mission- 
ary teacher of the church, 36; 
missionary training of, 35, 41; 
missions and mental outlook of, 
60; missions and spiritual life 
of, 61; must keep informed, 
152; must train officers, 67; 
public prayers of, 250; respon- 
sibility of, for missionary lead- 
ership, 9, 37; study course for, 
45; what, should know, 43, 54. 

and parents, 82: mis- 
sionary message of, 93; too 
timid, 71. 

Photographs, 136, 198. 

Pictures, 87, 156, 181. 

Plans: discussion of, by official 
board, 72; how make, work, 
278 ; suggestive, unified, 13. 

Post-cards, 148, 181. 

Posters, 156, 183, 185. 

Prayer: achievements of, 246; 
education in, 247; 249; ex- 
amples of, 249; growing of, 
256; in church’ missionary 
plan, 21; in official board meet- 
ing, 71; reasons for, 244; what 
missionaries think of it, 245, 


Index 


285 





Prayer-meeting, 108. 

Problem, changing missionary, 52. 

Problems of mission boards, 202. 

Programs, in young people’s so- 
ciety, 135. 

Puzzles, 87. 


Reading-courses, 164. 

Religious education includes mis- 
sionary education, 15, 

Reports, 277. 


School of missions, 171. 

Scrap-books, 181. 

Seminaries in pastor’s missionary 
training, 38, 56. 

Sermon: missionary, 101; 
sionary application of, 97. 

Service in church missionary plan, 
op i 

Social life, missions in, 148, 147. 

Special objects of giving, 236. 

Stereopticon, 104, 136. 

Stewardship, principles of, 229. 

Stories, 88, 100. 

Study classes, 185, 170. 

Success depends on leaders, 9, 66. 

Sunday school. (See ‘ Church 
School.”’) 

Superintendent, training of, 126. 

Supplemental teaching, 118. 


mis- 


Tact, need of, 70, 72. 

Talks to children, 88, 100. 

Teachers; opportunity of, to se- 
cure missionary recruits, 224: 
training of, 126. 

Tithing, 241. 

Training : must be continuous, 78; 
of officers, 66; of parents, 80; 
of pastor, 35. 

Travelog, 136, 146. 

Treasurer, missionary, 274. 


Unified church missionary plan: 
how made, 23; need of, 13, 22; 
what is included in, 20. 

Unified missionary plan for de- 
nomination, 33. 


White Cross service, 181. 

Woman’s society and parents, 84. 

Women organizing for missions, 
268. 

Workers’ conference, 127. 

World events, interpreting, 104. 


Young people: importance of mis- 
sions for, 131; organizing for 
Missions, 272; relation of, to 
church missionary plan, 130. 

Young people’s society: mission- 
ary committee of, 134; plans 
of, 134. 


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